Hidden Among Us
by thatcoyotegirlwolf
Summary: The new kid in town, Aladdin, enlists the help of Cinderella, Jim and Eric to help save the forest that he calls home, and the magical creatures that are his family. Along the way, they all learn the meaning of trust, friendship and acceptance.
1. Chapter 1: The Strange Boy

They never knew the change had been made. All they knew was that by some miracle, their child lived. They called her Cinderella.

Although raised well, Cinderella was a plain child. She was smart, but never popular. Her parents, Maurice and Sarah Hawkins, were poor, and couldn't give her much.

When Cinderella was 14, Maurice lost his job. As a result, Cinderella hired herself out as a maid in the afternoons. She would have quit school altogether and worked full time, like her mother, but Sarah wouldn't let her, believing that, with a good education, her daughter could go far in life.

Cinderella's dress became ragged over the years, but her parent's couldn't afford to buy her a new one, or even make one. No boy in school even looked her way because they saw her as below them. And as time went on, it became apparent that things would remain as they were.

So she remained friendless until her 16th birthday, when her life would change forever.

When she woke up that morning, it was just another day. She got up and got ready for school, like she always did. She arrived at school 5 minutes early, like she always did. She was greeted by the bully's making fun of her. Like always.

"Hey, Cinders."

"Sleep well in the fireplace?"

One boy threw mud at her. "Hey, Cinder-soot, you missed a spot."

One of the bigger boys bumped into her, causing her to drop her books. "Hey, watch where you're going, soot."

A girl kicked the books away as Cinderella was trying to pick them up. "Oops. So sorry."

As Cinderella scrambled around trying to get her books, the unexpected happened: someone stood up for her.

"Hey, cut it out! Leave her alone!"

They did. And everyone, including Cinderella, stared at him in shock. No one had ever stood up for her before. But for some strange reason, he had.

Then the warning bell rang, and everyone scrambled to class. But Cinderella couldn't get that boy out of her head. He had been dressed like an upper class family, all in white, but his ruffled black hair and his crooked smile set him apart from the others.

As soon as the last bell rang, Cinderella gathered up her courage and walked up to him.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

He smiled. "You're welcome."

"Why did you do it?" she asked. "Why did you stand up for me?"

He shrugged. "Why not? You weren't standing up for yourself."

She ducked her head. "I never do."

He looked at her curiously. "How come?"

"I don't know," she answered. "What's the use? They just come back."

"That's not the point," he told her gently. "You've got to prove that you can stand up for yourself. Only then will they respect you."

Cinderella shook her head. "I don't need their respect anyway. Nobody likes me. Just ask anyone."

She turned to leave, but he stopped her. "Maybe you haven't given them a chance."

She turned back to him. "What do you mean?"

"Look," he said, "I know it's hard being different, but if you're willing to try, you can fit in among everyone else."

"I don't want to fit in," Cinderella said, a bit harsher than she had intended. "I'm just a freak of nature to them, and always will be. And they're such jerks, I don't want to be like them at all!"

He looked surprised, and a little hurt. ""Look, I'm just trying to help, that's all."

"Why?" she challenged him. "Why would you want to help me?"

"Because we have something in common," he answered.

She rolled her eyes. He was rich, she was poor. What could they possibly have in common? "Like what?"

He shrugged. "You said it yourself. We're both freaks of nature, and always will be. Look," he said, lowering his voice and looking around to make sure no one was listening. "The tribes are gathering. We need you with us."

Cinderella was surprised. "Why me?"

He put his hand on her shoulder. "Because this concerns you, as well as us."

"Who are you?"

He smiled, and held out his hand. "Aladdin. Aladdin Li. And you?"

She smiled back, and shook his hand. "Cinderella Hawkins."

"Well, Cinderella," he asked, serious again. "Will you help us?"

"Help who?" she asked, thoroughly confused.

"All the other freaks of nature hidden among us, but never seen."

Cinderella just stared at him. Surely he was playing some kind of joke on her. But no, his eyes were dead serious as they looked into hers. And that made her more uncomfortable than ever. She began to back away, frightened. "Surely it's not me you want. Surely it's someone else. It has to be."

"No," he insisted, "no it's you."

He reached for her again, but she turned and ran, not stopping till she reached the edge of her driveway. She just stood there for a few minutes panting, extremely frightened.

"Oh, if only tomorrow was a holiday," she cried. But it wasn't. She would have to go back to school and face him again. That thought was on her mind all through work that day, and when night came around, she didn't sleep a wink.

The next day, when she arrived at school, the bully's ignored her. She looked around, and saw that Aladdin was talking to a boy who looked a few years younger than the rest of the students. He was dressed in poor clothing as well, wearing a black shirt under a deep brown sailor's coat and deep green pants that were tucked into his boots. His brown hair was in a mess around his eyes, except for the rat tail that hung at the back of his neck. He looked so out of place, she wondered if Aladdin had to save him too.

Relieved that Aladdin hadn't seen her, Cinderella slid into her seat just as the bell rang. About five minutes into class, however, she could feel herself being stared at. Glancing around, she saw a boy with black hair and piercing eyes steadily staring at her. She tried to motion him to look at the teacher, but to no avail. He just kept on staring at her throughout the entire class, making her more and more uncomfortable, so that by the end of class, she hadn't learned a thing.

After the last bell had rung that day, Cinderella leaned against her locker, yawned and rubbed her eyes. When she looked around, she saw the boy Aladdin had been talking to earlier looking at her. She tensed up, bracing herself for another encounter, but he simply walked away, not giving her a second glance. All throughout the day, she wondered who those boys were, and why they were so interested in her.

The lady Cinderella worked for, woman named Juliana, waved Cinderella over late that afternoon, before Cinderella went home.

"Something has come up with my mother," Juliana told her, "and she needs me to go stay with her for a while. All my mail will be forwarded to me there." She sighed, then continued. "I'm afraid I won't be needing your help for a while. If you would, it would be nice if you could check on the house now and then, at your convenience, just to make sure that no one has broken in or anything, but that would be all. And if you need a reference," Juliana added, reaching into her pocket and handing Cinderella a piece of paper, "you can write me at this address, or call me at that number, and I'll be happy to recommend you."

"Thank you, miss," Cinderella said as she received her money for the day, but her heart sank. Even that little bit of cash each day helped, and now it was gone. She would have to find a new job, and fast, before the next bill was due.

When Cinderella got home that night, she told her parents the news, but Maurice had some news of his own.

"I got a job today!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I start tomorrow. I'll be repairing machines at the factory when they break down. It's not the best of jobs, but it pays well."

"That's wonderful, Father!" Cinderella told him, relieved that they wouldn't be affected by her lost job.

"Cinderella," Maurice said, "Your mother and I have been talking. Now that I've got a decent paying job again, we want you to focus more on your studies. Make a friend, enjoy being a teenager while you can. It's not fair for you to have to grow up so fast."

"I don't mind, father," Cinderella said humbly. But Maurice shook his head.

"We mind," he insisted. "You should be enjoying yourself, not working the days away. Starting tomorrow, I want you to start being a regular teenager again. No more apron."

"We will still need your help around the house some," Sarah added, "but not nearly as much as a job would. If you want to go out some, go out. Just let us know."

Cinderella sighed with relief. "Yes, mother. Thank you. I love you both."

Sarah smiled at her daughter. "We love you too, sweetie."

Later that night, after she had finished her homework, Cinderella crawled into bed, wondering what the next day would bring.


	2. Chapter 2: Gifts

CHAPTER 2

The next morning at school, she had to pass Aladdin on the way to class. She kept walking, hoping that he wouldn't notice her. But he did.

"Hey, Cinderella, wait up!"

She sighed and turned to him. "What now?"

"Look, we really do need your help," he told her.

"With what?" she asked.

He opened his mouth to answer when the bell rang. And for the first time in years, Cinderella hated that bell.

"Meet me in the park after school," he said as he hurried away. "It's really important."

Cinderella nodded, then rushed to class, just barely making it to her seat in time.

After school, Cinderella went home and thought about what Aladdin had said. "Maybe they really do need me," she thought. Having nothing else to do, and feeling she had to take the chance, she left a note for her parents and headed to the park.

When she arrived at the park, Cinderella found Aladdin there waiting for her, along with those other two strange boys at school. As soon as he saw her, Aladdin waved her over.

"You made it! Good. Now we're all here."

"Would you mind telling me what's going on?" Cinderella asked him.

Aladdin's face darkened. "The termination of a species, that's what's going on."

The boy that had stared at Cinderella in class now stared at Aladdin. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Aladdin opened his mouth to answer, then stopped. "Where are my manners? None of you know each other!"

"Al," the boy with the rat tail said warningly, but Aladdin waved him off.

"No, really, it will only take a second. Everyone, this is Cinderella, Eric," (the guy who stared a lot) "Jim," (the guy with the rat tail) "and I'm Al. Now, back to the matter at hand. Have any of you been in the forest just beyond this park?"

Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads. Eric and Jim had just moved into town within the past few weeks, and Cinderella never went near those woods if she could help it.

"None of you?" Aladdin asked again, but he didn't seem surprised. "Then you have no idea of the fantastical creatures living in that forest. But I do, because I live there. And now someone is trying to take my home and burn it to the ground. And we have no defense against them."

Eric spoke up. "Well, if it's your home, then you should have legal defense."

"Well we don't," Aladdin insisted. "You have to understand, I am not one of them, just as you are not one of them." Everyone looked confused. "Come on, I'll show you what I mean."

Aladdin led them into the forest. "We of the forest have managed to hide many years among humans, undetected, unknown. But all that is about to change. If humans knew of our existence, they would wipe us out. You know this." Here he stopped and looked at the others. "We have seen your gifts. We respect them, and they are beautiful to us. But they are not beautiful to them, and if they found out, then you would be in as much danger as we are. So I'm begging you, please help us, for the sake of all of us, including you."

Eric and Jim looked at each other nervously, but Cinderella was just confused. She didn't understand anything he was talking about, but she didn't wish to hurt him by letting him know that, so she just nodded, not saying anything.

"How can we help?" Eric asked.

But Jim was more cautious. "What gifts are you talking about?"

Aladdin smiled mischievously. "You know your own." Then he disappeared. Cinderella, Eric and Jim looked around, startled.

Then Cinderella felt something crawling up her skirt. Looking down, she saw a mouse. She screamed, and Jim instinctively grabbed it. He was about to throw it when a voice said, "Hey, relax, it's me!" And the mouse turned into a cat in his hand. Jim yelped in surprise and dropped the cat on the ground. It transformed back into Aladdin before their eyes.

All three of them stared in shock as he stood up and walked towards them. "Now you know," Aladdin said simply. "This is what this forest hides. Strange 'freaks of nature', as they call us. And now they want to destroy our land, and so destroy us. Not many of us can walk among man undetected. We are a precious few, and those of us who can must walk among men, to stop this before more damage is done."

"More damage?" Cinderella asked weakly.

"Come," Aladdin said. "I'll show you." He led them to a part of the forest that was nothing but ash. They all stared a moment before Aladdin spoke. "This is what they've done to the land I called home. And this is what they wish to do to my people. Destroy them, wipe them out. We can't let that happen. Not now, not ever. We've got to stop them."

"But how?" Cinderella asked. "What could we do?"

"We must stand together," Aladdin explained. "Form an alliance. Each of us use our own gifts to protect this forest, and let no man enter without our will."

"What gifts are you talking about, Aladdin?" Cinderella finally asked him.

He smiled at her sadly, but Eric spoke up. "What do you mean, 'what gifts'? You have them, don't you?"

"Have what?" Cinderella asked.

Aladdin came to her defense. "She doesn't know. But she will soon enough. Meanwhile, what are your gifts? How can you help us most?"

"You already know," Jim said bitterly.

"I know, but the others don't," Aladdin pushed gently. Eric and Jim hesitated. "Come on, we're all one team here. We should trust one another." Still they remained silent. "Am I the only one here willing to take a risk? Fine, I'll start. I'm a shape shifter. I can change into any animal I want. Jim?"

Jim sighed, then spoke. "I'm a werewolf. When the moon is out, I can transform into a beast. But I don't do any harm to humans. I just hunt."

Aladdin nodded. "Good. Eric?"

Eric took a deep breath. "I'm telechenetic. I can move things with my mind. But it's not natural," he insisted.

Aladdin shrugged. "Natural is a point of view. And it'sd time we put your gift to good use."

"Wait," Jim spoke up. "What about her?"

Aladdin turned to Cinderella. "Do you know your gift yet?" he asked her gently.

She shook her head. "No," she admitted, "I didn't know I had one."

"You do," Aladdin insisted, "and you'll learn it soon enough."

"How do you know?" Jim challenged him. "How do you know she has a gift?"

"I see it," Aladdin answered simply.

"Then what is it?" Jim asked.

"I won't say," Aladdin told him stubbornly.

"you're the one who said we have to trust each other," Jim reminded him.

"She deserves to learn it for herself," Aladdin insisted. "If we show it to her now, she may look for it so hard that she misses it completely. But if we let her find it on her own, then she will learn to use it properly, and be a greater help to us in the long run."

"Yeah," Jim admitted reluctantly, "I guess you're right. I just wish we knew what she is."

"Trust me, so do I," Cinderella told him.

Eric asked curiously, "how long do you think it will take to find out?"

"Not long," Aladdin answered, "I hope. But for right now, we've got to work with what we got. So let's meet the rest of the team, shall we?"

And he led them deeper into the forest, where they saw a short man with the legs of a goat talking to a beautiful young Native American woman.

"That," Aladdin said, pointing to the goat man, "is my brother, Phil. He's a faun. He's fast, strong, loyal – his only weakness is drink. So long as the enemy doesn't offer him a glass of wine, he's on our side."

Jim looked at Aladdin sharply, but Aladdin just continued quickly, "And that girl he's flirting with is Pocahontas. She's a driad. Lives in that tree over there."

"She's beautiful," Eric said quietly.

Aladdin turned to him with a grin. "You think she's pretty? Come on, I want to show you something." He led them to a nearby stream where a girl was wading. "That's Kida, a naiad. She lives here, going up and down the stream all day. Now that's a sight for sore eyes, isn't it?"

Cinderella looked at Aladdin. Why did she feel a twinge of jealousy all of a sudden?

But Aladdin didn't notice. He just turned back to them, saying, "Come on, we're not done yet."

He led them to a beach, where a man that was half horse was talking to a woman in the water. "That guy over there," Aladdin said, pointing to the horse man, "is my father, Shang. He's a centaur. And the lady he's talking to is Ariel, a mermaid."

"Woah," Jim muttered.

Aladdin grinned at him. "Don't be getting any ideas. She's over twice your age."

"Are you serious?" Jim asked in shock.

"Of course I'm serious."

Jim objected, "well, she doesn't look it."

"I know," Aladdin told him casualy, "but you know those two girls I just showed you? They're her daughters."

Jim couldn't think of anything to answer, he was so shocked. Aladdin laughed. "Come on. They're the ones we have to talk to."

Aladdin led them over. "Hi, Dad," he called.

Shang looked over. "I see you brought them," he stated.

"Yep," Aladdin answered. "All three of them"

"That's all?" Ariel asked, disappointed. I was hoping there would be more than that."

"It will be enough," Shang assured her. Then, looking at Aladdin, he asked, "What are their gifts?"

"Werewolf, telechenetic, and… I brought her as well," Aladdin answered.

"You mean she doesn't know yet?" Ariel asked. Aladdin shook his head. Ariel looked at Cinderella with a new look in her eyes. "My child," she said gently, "you have much to learn. Are you ready to hear what must be said?"

"I think so," Cinderella answered hesitantly.

Ariel shook her head. "No," she said firmly. "Don't think, believe. What you will hear will sound impossible, but it is true. And you must believe it to understand it."

"All right," Cinderella said nervously, "I'm ready."


	3. Chapter 3: Who Am I?

So Ariel began: "Cinderella, you are not what you think you are, nor is your family truly yours. Soon after you were born, your true parents died, and you were switched with a human child who would not live. Your human parents did not know the switch was made and so raised you as their own, a miracle child, just as they would have if you truly were theirs. But as time went on, you felt the difference, didn't you? You knew you didn't belong among men. But not knowing where you did belong, you remained and became what you are today: a self-proclaimed outcast who doesn't believe in herself. But this can change. It must change, and soon; because if it doesn't your gift will remain crippled for life."

"But what is my gift?" Cinderella exclaimed at last. "You have yet to tell me who I am."

"Or what," Eric added.

"You're a fairy," Ariel said simply. "A Fairy of the Hollow."

A strange look came over Eric's face. "The Hollow?" he asked. "But I thought they were all killed out."

"Killed?" Ariel asked. "Where did you learn of this?"

Eric was surprised. "I don't know," he admitted. "I didn't even know I knew it." Ariel looked worried.

Jim looked around. "There's big magic at work here. I can feel it."

"Eric," Ariel asked worried, "are you yourself?"

Eric looked offended. "Of course I'm myself. Who else would I be?"

"And you're in complete control of yourself?" Ariel pushed gently.

"Of course I can control myself," Eric snapped. "I don't need anyone telling me what to do or say."

Aladdin looked puzzled. "No one told you to do or say anything."

Eric became confused, and grew quiet.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Ariel asked him.

"I'm fine," Eric answered quickly, but he didn't feel so sure.

Everyone else looked at each other, worried, but decided not to persue the matter.

After talking for a while, it was decided that Jim would guard the forest alone that night; it would be a full moon, when he was most alert, and unable to control his change. That way, the others in the forest could sleep. (They had been watching over the forest for several nights now, and desperately needed rest.)

Since Aladdin would be around her every day anyway, it was decided that he would help Cinderella discover her gift better. Eric, with his genius level IQ, was in charge of finding out all he could about the company trying to destroy the forest, and hopefully come up with some sort of loophole to stop them.

As Aladdin was walking her home, Cinderella asked him, "What kind of 'gift' is being a fairy, anyway? I mean, what kind of special talents do I have?"

"I'm not exactly sure," he admitted. "You'll have to find that out yourself. But I do know one special thing that comes with it."

Cinderella looked at him. "What?" she asked.

He smiled. "Beauty."

"What are you talking about?" she objected. "I'm the most plain-looking girl I know."

Aladdin stopped and took her hand gently. "No you're not. Listen, you saw Pocahontas and Kida?"

Cinderella sighed. "I wish I could be half as pretty as they are."

"You are," Aladdin told her, looking into her eyes. "And more. You just don't see it yet. But those who see you for who you are, they see it. And one day you'll see it too."

When she walked in the door, Sarah greeted her. "Supper's ready. Did you have a good day, sweetheart?"

"Very different, but not too bad," Cinderella answered as she sat at the table.

"Did you make some new friends?" Maurice asked as they started to eat.

Cinderella smiled. "You know what, I think I did."

That night, in bed, Cinderella thought about what Aladdin had said. And then, out of nowhere, she heard those same words in her head, in a much different voice, like a memory long forgotten. Had someone said those words to her before, and if so, who? Her parents, her real parents? Or someone she had never known? The thought troubled her, and she lay awake for a long time, wondering.


	4. Chapter 4: Public Records

The next day, Cinderella entered school, surrounded by the usual insults. She just stood there, silent eyes turned down, waiting for the warning bell when they would leave her alone. But it wasn't the bell that saved her. It was Jim.

Walking up to the biggest bully, named Gaston, Jim spun the guy around until they were looking eye to eye. "Leave her alone," Jim warned Gaston.

"Or what?" Gaston asked.

Now Jim was a little smaller than most of the guys in school, but his strength made up for that. He slammed Gaston in to the wall by his neck. Gaston struggled to get free. Finally he gasped, "Ok, ok, we'll leave her alone." Jim released him, and Gaston rubbed his neck, shrugging away his fear in indifference. "Hey, you want to be friends with a freak, that's fine by me."

Jim glared at him. "Better a freak than an idiot," he shot back. Jim took Cinderella's arm, and gently led her away, leaving the bullies to plot their revenge.

When they were out of earshot, Cinderella looked at Jim gratefully. "Thank you."

"When are you gonna learn to stand up for yourself?" Jim snapped at her. "I'm not always gonna be here, you know."

Cinderella became so angry at him that, instead of looking down, she snapped back. "Why did you help me then? Why not just leave me be?"

"Is that what you wanted?" Jim asked her. "To be called names? Because you sure didn't look like you were enjoying it."

Cinderella sighed. "Of course I don't enjoy it. But I have grown to accept it."

"But it's not right," Jim told her, in a much softer tone. Cinderella was so surprised she wasn't sure how to respond. No one in school had ever cared enough to tell her that what the bullies were doing was wrong, and should be stopped. And deep down inside, Cinderella knew that she would have to be the one to stop it.

Later that day, they all gathered to discuss their next move. Eric turned to Jim. "How did last night go?" Eric asked.

Jim shrugged. "Quiet."

"Good," Eric answered.

Aladdin asked Eric, "Have you found out about the contractor yet?"

Eric shook his head. "Not yet, but I will, don't worry. These things take time."

"Time is something we don't have," Shang reminded him.

"I know, I'm sorry," Eric apologized. "Look, I might have the information you need by tomorrow."

"Go, then," Shang ordered.

Eric left. Jim watched him go. "You know, there's something not quite right about him."

Aladdin shook his head with a smile. "Well, there's something not quite right about you. Stop being so suspicious. We're all on the same team here."

Eric entered the public records office. The beautiful black-haired lady behind the desk greeted him with a smile. "May I help you with something?" she asked him with a voice as sweet and musical as a song. Her name tag read 'Vanessa'.

Eric smiled. "Yes. I would like to see the records for the contractor's agreement, for the forest."

Vanessa smiled. "Oh, I'm afraid I can't show you that."

"Why not?" Eric asked. "Isn't everything here freely accessible to the public?"

Vanessa looked at him. "May I ask why you would like to see them?"

"I'm doing a report for school about the forest," Eric lied, "and I need to know why it's being cut down."

"Come here," she said, motioning to him. He leaned closer. "It's being cut down," she told him quietly, "because the city wants it to be."

"Not everyone in the city agrees with that," Eric objected.

"Are you a reporter?" Vanessa asked suddenly.

"No," he answered, a little puzzled, "I wouldn't even know where to start with that. But I do get good grades in school, with the right information." He focused his mind on hers, trying to convince her that he was telling the truth.

Vanessa shrugged. "All right," she agreed. She looked in a drawer and pulled out a folder. "Here it is."

Eric looked in the folder. All the information he needed had been removed. "Hey," he exclaimed, "there's pages missing here."

"That's funny," Vanessa said puzzled, taking the folder and looking through it herself.

"Is there another copy of this?" Eric asked her.

"Not here, no," Vanessa answered, putting the folder away.

Eric persisted, "Do you know where I could find one?"

"Listen, Eric," Vanessa said in a much different voice, a rough low voice not musical at all, "You tell your friends the information was stolen, and you don't know where it is." She snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. He blinked, a strange look coming over his face.

"Thanks for your help," he said, a little puzzled about what just happened.

"No problem," Vanessa said with a smile, her voice sweet and musical again. "Sorry it didn't work out."

Eric nodded and left. Vanessa laughed quietly. When she spoke, her voice was low and evil once again. "I think it's time for another sign."

When Eric arrived at the forest, Cinderella, Jim and Aladdin were there waiting for him.

"Eric!" Cinderella called, running up to him. "How did it go?"

Eric shook his head. "It didn't."

"What do you mean it didn't?" she asked.

"I mean the records are gone, stolen."

"By who?" Jim asked?

Eric shrugged. "We don't know. Whoever it was didn't leave any evidence. The woman who worked there didn't even know they were missing until we looked for them."

"Are you sure you looked in the right place?" Cinderella asked him gently.

"Of course I'm sure," Eric snapped defensively. "I know what I'm doing, and so does she. They weren't there. We looked everywhere."

"What about the contractors' office?" Aladdin asked. "Do they have a copy there?"

"I checked," Eric told him. "They were closed. I'll have to wait till tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's Saturday," Cinderella reminded him. "They won't be open."

"When will they be open again?" Eric asked her.

"Monday," Cinderella said, discouraged.

"Shoot!" Eric said, annoyed.

"Well," Aladdin said, trying to be positive, "we've lasted this long. What's a few more days?"

Eric shook his head. "I hope you're right."

Late that night, a dark figure walked steadily toward the forest. He didn't worry about anyone stopping him; he knew no one could. And he had a plan for each and every one of them. He came to Phil first. He could have easily snapped the faun's neck, but he didn't want to kill them, just leave them a message. Using his mind, he brought out in plain sight of the faun a glass of wine that had been hidden there. Phil at first thought it was strange that a cup could float in midair, but when he saw the contents, he forgot his suspicions, grabbed the cup and began to drink greedily. Within seconds, he was in a deep sleep. Feeling another presence, the dark figure looked up and saw Aladdin approaching. Using his mind, the figure knocked Aladdin's legs out from under him, and then blinded him so he couldn't see. The figure then moved on, like a shadow into the forest.


	5. Chapter 5: Brain Waves

CHAPTER 5

Aladdin lay there, blind and sore. He could smell smoke, but couldn't do anything to stop it. Or could he?

Mustering all his strength, he transformed himself into a wolf. Though still blind, he now had the ability to call for help. Aladdin took a deep breath, and began to howl at the top of his lungs.

In an old house, just on the edge of town, Jim opened his eyes and listened. As the howling continued, he got up and quickly snuck outside. Transforming into a wolf, he howled out, "What's wrong?"

"Fire!" came the answer.

"I'll get help," Jim promised, and rushed toward town.

Stopping just outside a small house in downtown, Jim let out a howl that caused Eric to sit straight up in bed. Eric opened his window.

"What is it?" he asked.

"The forest is on fire! We need you!" Jim said frantically.

"I'm coming!" Eric exclaimed, and quickly climbed out his window and followed the wolf down the street towards the forest.

"Hurry, up!" Jim called as they ran. Eric didn't answer, but did manage to speed up a little.

By the time they reached the forest, Eric was stumbling and gasping for air. But that didn't stop him from reacting to the scene before him.

"Oh no," he gasped.

The fire raged before him, each moment finding something new to feed the flames.

"Put it out!" Jim yelled.

"How?" Eric asked, thinking hard. "Water."

Eric thought hard. The stream was too small, but the ocean…

"Don't hate me, Ariel," he exclaimed. Reaching out with his arm, and his mind, he gathered up a great wave, then threw his arm forward like a pitcher. Everything around, including Eric and Jim, was instantly drenched, and the fire was put out.

Both boys sputtered, getting the salt water out of their mouth and eyes.

"Not exactly what I had in mind," Jim said coughing, "but it works."

Eric looked around. "Where is everyone?" he asked, worried.

"I don't know," Jim said. "We'll have to sniff them out." So saying, he began trying to pick up their trails. But after a few minutes, he had to admit defeat.

"The scent's cold," Jim said, transforming back into himself. "Washed away by all that water you dumped on us."

Eric felt his face turn red. "I'm sorry," he said, embarrassed.

Jim looked at Eric. "Can you find them?" he asked.

"I don't know," Parker admitted. "I can try."

"Try," Jim growled.

Eric closed his eyes. With his mind, he began searching the forest for his friends. It didn't take long, but it seemed like forever till he saw what he wanted. "Al!" Eric's mind came back to where he was.

"Where is he?" Jim asked.

"This way." They hurried toward the place Eric had seen.

It only took a minute to reach him.

"Al!" Eric cried, rushing to his friend. "Are you ok?"

"Get this dark out of my eyes!" Aladdin said urgently.

Nervously, Eric placed his hand over Aladdin's eyes, searched with his mind, and found the blind. With his mind, he grabbed the blind and removed it as he removed his hand from Aladdin's eyes.

Aladdin sighed with relief. "Thanks."

"What happened?" Jim asked.

"It happened too fast to see," Aladdin told them. "But I do know one thing: whoever, or whatever, is behind this, there is definitely big magic involved."

"Do you know where the others are?" Jim asked.

"I know where they should be," Aladdin answered. "Come on." Aladdin led the way through the forest.

After a minute, however, Jim stopped. "What?" Aladdin asked him.

"Can't you smell that?" Jim asked sharply.

Aladdin sniffed the air. "Smell what?"

"I'm not sure," Jim answered slowly, "but I've smelled it before. Can't stand it."

Aladdin shook his head. "All right. Stand guard, then."

Aladdin and Eric took a few more steps forward. "I smell wine," Aladdin said suddenly.

"And something else," Eric added.

Both boys rushed forward and found Phil passed out in the bushes.

"It's Phil!" Aladdin called to Jim.

"Is he all right?" Jim asked.

Eric knelt down and examined the cup. "Sleeping potion," he said grimly. "I'd know that smell anywhere." He stood up. "He'll stay conked out for a couple of hours, but he'll be all right."

"Are you sure?" Aladdin asked, worried.

"I'm positive," Eric said firmly.

But Aladdin was still not convinced. "How can you be positive?"

Eric rolled his eyes. "Trust me, once you've smelled that, you never forget it."

"You're right," Jim said, finally forcing himself to come closer. "But I never did find out what it was. How did you?"

Eric thought hard. "There was – a test – and…" He placed a hand on his head, which had started to throb. "I can't remember. It's almost like I've blocked it somehow, like I don't want to remember."

"I remember when I first smelled it," Jim said thoughtfully. "I was a kid. My parents were away, and some guy from town was watching me. He had this cream, like butter. He began to smear it all over me. I got angry, and started fighting him. He forced a few drops of that… stuff into my mouth. The next thing I remember, he was gone, and my parents were home again. I didn't know what had happened until that night. It was a full moon. I couldn't stop myself."

The true meaning of what Jim was saying hit the boys like a ton of bricks. "You weren't born a werewolf!" Aladdin exclaimed. "You were turned into one. I've heard of things like that, but I didn't realize it was real."

"It was," Jim said firmly. "Soon after that, the man was hung as a wizard. All the children he had cursed were sent away to become some… government experiment. As soon as my parents found out, we moved away. Never came back." He looked away. "Until now."

Eric shook his head. "No one ever knew about my gift," he said quietly. "Whenever anyone found out, I would just wipe it from their mind. Make them think I was an ordinary kid. I could do that somehow. Anyway," he said quickly, "we're off track. We need to find the others."

Come on," Aladdin said, "Pocahontas should be over here."

Aladdin was leading them when he suddenly stopped short. The top of a large tree lay in their path. "Oh, no," he whispered, then ran forward wildly, shouting, "Pocahontas!"

Pocahontas was laying on the ground, unconscious. Aladdin ran to her and held her in his arms. Eric stood beside him, searching with his mind. "She's alive," he told them.

"But not for long!" Aladdin blurted. "Her spirit is connected to that tree, that's how these things work! If it dies, she dies!"

Jim looked at Eric hopefully. "Eric?"

Eric understood what he meant. He closed his eyes, and focused his mind. Reaching out his arm so that his hand was even to his shoulder, he slowly bent his elbow until his fingers pointed to the sky. As he did so, the tree followed, until it stood straight again. Eric then rubbed his elbow, sealing the tree where it broke. Then he gently released the tree from his mind. The tree stood, and they all sighed in relief.

Pocahontas stirred, and opened her eyes. "Al?" she asked weakly.

"Yeah, I'm here," Aladdin answered gently. "Oh, Po, I thought we'd lost you!"

Pocahontas smiled weakly. "Not yet, you ain't."

"Are you ok?" Aladdin asked her, concerned.

She winced a little as she sat up. "A little sore, but I'll be fine."

"We need to find the others, Al," Eric reminded him.

But Eric seemed reluctant to leave Pocahontas' side. She smiled at him weakly. "Go, I'll be fine," she told him.

"Are you sure," he asked.

"I'm sure," she said firmly. "Go make sure everyone else is ok."

"All right," Aladdin answered, standing. "We'll be back, I promise."

As the boys went along, Eric said, "I didn't know she was your girl."

"She's not," Aladdin said. "She's my sister."

Jim looked at him, surprised. "Sister?"

"Well, stepsister," Aladdin explained. "See, Kida and Pocahontas are sisters, but they have different fathers. Me and Pocahontas have the same father, but Kida…"

They all stopped and stared in horror. Kida was trapped, floating in a giant ball of water over the stream. "You've got to be kidding me," Jim muttered in disbelief.

"Eric, if you can do anything, do it!" Aladdin exclaimed.

"What did they do?" Eric said quietly, a bit stunned. He looked closely. "River stopped," he said to himself. Then it hit him. "It's a bubble!" Reaching his hand forward, he pressed gently against the bubble. Water began to leak out around his hand. He pressed harder, and his hand was inside. He kept on pushing, until his whole body was inside the bubble. Kida floated above him. Eric focused with his mind, lifted his arms above his head, then dropped them quickly. The bubble busted, and water poured out everywhere. Kida quickly fell, and Eric caught her just before she hit the ground. "Kida?" Eric asked, worried.

Kida stirred. "Eric?"

"Kida!" Aladdin cried out in joy. He ran over and hugged her. "You're ok!"

Eric looked around. "Where's your dad? And Ariel? If this keeps up they could be in danger."

Aladdin looked Kida in the eyes. "Where's Dad?"

"He was over there," she said, pointing.

The boys took off in the direction she pointed in. He was nowhere to be found.

"Wait," Eric said. Closing his eyes, he began to search with his mind, finally finding what he wanted. "He's at the beach with Ariel. Come on!"

As they ran, Aladdin asked, "How did you find them?"

"The same way I found you," Eric answered, breathless from running. "Brain waves."

"You got more power than I ever figured!" Aladdin exclaimed.

Eric gasped, "I just hope it's enough."


	6. Chapter 6: You Did Enough

CHAPTER 6

When they reached the beach, a terrible sight met their eyes: the water level had dropped from the wave Eric had taken from it. But the most shocking was the sight of Ariel bent over Shang, a worried look on her face.

"Dad!" Aladdin screamed, running up to Shang, who remained motionless. "Dad! Wake up! Wake up! Eric, what's wrong with him?"

Eric kneeled down beside Shang, although he knew the answer at first glance. "We're too late," he said quietly.

"What?" Aladdin asked, not quite comprehending what his friend was saying.

"Al, he's dying!" Eric blurted.

But Aladdin shook his head, refusing to believe it. "No. No, he can't die! Dad, stay with us! Come back to me! Come back!" He shook his father, to no avail. "Eric, do something!"

"There's nothing I can do," Eric told him sadly.

"Try!" Aladdin insisted, refusing to take no for an answer.

So Eric placed his hand on Shang's forehead, and reached out as far as he could with his mind. But there was something stopping him from saving this man; the more Eric tried, the worse it hurt him. "I can't," he gasped at last. "It's too deep!"

Aladdin yelled in frustration. "All that power, and you're still useless!"

Then a thought crossed Eric's mind. "I can't. But do you suppose Cinderella could?"

The two boys looked at each other a moment. Then Aladdin jumped up and transformed into a cheetah, running as fast as he could toward Cinderella's house.

Cinderella was awakened by someone beating on her window. A bit frightened, she was about to go get her father when she heard Aladdin's voice call her name. Opening her window, Cinderella asked, "Al, what…"

But she didn't even finish her sentence when Aladdin interrupted her. "Cinderella, my dad's dying! You have to help him! Please!"

Cinderella grew pale. She was not a doctor, she wouldn't even know where to begin. "But how…" she tried to ask, but was interrupted again.

"Please, Cinderella!" Aladdin pleaded.

Cinderella sighed inwardly. "All right, I'm coming."

He held out his hand to her. "Come on, I'll take you."

Without taking the time to change out of her nightgown, she took his hand, and he practically drug her out the window. Then he turned and knelt down. "Get on my back," he ordered. Cinderella obeyed, then gasped as he turned into a horse under her. "Get ready to run," he told her.

"What?" she asked, but the word was barely out of her mouth when he broke into a full gallop. She stifled a scream, and focused solely on staying on his back.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the beach. Jim had put Ariel in the water, and they were all just sitting there, waiting nervously.

Aladdin stopped so quickly that Cinderella nearly fell off his back. "How is he?" Aladdin asked breathlessly, changing into himself again.

"I've kept his heart beating," Eric said exhausted. "I can't go much farther."

Aladdin turned to Cinderella, begging, "Cinderella, if you have any power in you at all, please help him."

Cinderella felt very helpless, with all those eyes staring at her, and not a clue what to do. "How?" she asked.

"I don't know!" Aladdin nearly shouted.

Cinderella watches Eric a moment, then attempts to copy him, but fails. "I can't!" she finally admits. "I don't know how! I don't even know where to start!"

"Cinderella," Ariel called from the water, "you can start by believing you can."

Cinderella nodded nervously, then closed her eyes. "I can do this," she told herself. "I can do this." Automatically, without thinking, she cups her hands, and they fill with fairy dust. Aladdin gasps. Startled, Cinderella looks up to see what happened. When she sees the fairy dust in her hands, she gasps as well. "What is this?" she cried out in fear.

"Give it to him," Ariel told her. Cinderella hesitated, not quite understanding. "Cinderella, give it to Shang," Ariel insisted.

"How?" Cinderella asked quietly. But she forced herself to relax, and act on instinct. Gently, she blew the dust onto Shang's body. Shang took a deep breath, and began to stir.

"Dad?" Aladdin asked, hopeful.

"Aladdin," Shang answered weakly.

"Dad!" Aladdin yelled in excitement. "You're back! You're all right!" And he gave his father a big hug.

It was a happy reunion for everyone, except for Eric. He was sitting on the sand, exhausted from his efforts of keeping Shang alive, when he heard a voice ringing in his head. "You failed me, Eric. You failed." Then, without warning, he felt a piercing pain in his head. Crying out, he fell back, and began to scream in agony.

The others heard his cry, and were immediately worried. "Cinderella, do something!" Jim yelled, trying to be heard over Eric's screams.

Not knowing what else to do, she repeated the process she had used with Shang, but a sudden wind blew the fairy dust away from Eric, so that not a bit of it hit him. It quickly dissolved. Without thinking, she lunges toward Eric, placing one hand on his head, and the other on his chest. She then let the fairy dust flow from her hands into him. He gives a gasp as the pain goes away. He began to look around at all the worried faces staring at him.

"What happened?" Cinderella asked him.

"I don't know," he said, stunned himself. "I failed."

Cinderella, thinking he meant that he failed to revive Shang, tried to comfort him. "You did the best you could. You kept him alive until I could get here."

Eric shook his head. "No," he insisted. "You don't understand. I failed!"

But because no one had heard the voice except Eric, they all still thought he was talking about Shang. "You can't do everything for everyone, Eric," Aladdin told him comfortingly. "You did enough. I'd be wore out after all that power, too."

But Eric refused to be comforted. "I'm sorry, you guys."

Cinderella lifted his chin, so that they were eye to eye. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You did the best you could, and that's all we could ever ask of you."

"Dad is alive, Eric," Aladdin reminded him, "and so is everyone else, thanks to you. Don't worry about it. You did well."

Eric opened his mouth to answer, but by then he was unsure what to say. The others, seeing how confused he was, were very kind to him the rest of the evening. They thought his confusion came from using so much power at once. Aladdin even offered to walk him home. When they reached his house, Aladdin bid him a cheerful good night, and left.

When Eric climbed back in his window, however, he found his little sister, Kayley, sitting on his bed, waiting for him. "Where were you?" she asked. "You've been gone for two hours! I heard a wolf, and came to check on you, and you weren't here! Do you know what Father would do to you if he found out that you snuck out?"

When she stopped to catch her breath, he broke in, "I had to meet a friend in trouble. You're not gonna turn me in to Father, are you?"

He looked at her with pleading in his eyes. She sighed. "No," she said quietly. "Just don't do it again. And we need to think up a story together to tell Father, just in case he asks."

"I was sleepwalking," Eric said, thinking quickly. "Somehow I managed to climb out the widow and walk around outside. When I woke up, I climbed back into the window in order to not disturb him."

"Believable enough, I guess. Well, goodnight. Sleep well. Without walking away again." Shaking her head, Kayley headed back to her room to catch a few more hours sleep.

But no matter how hard he tried, Eric couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned in his bed for an hour at least. There was something there, hidden in the back of his mind, haunting him. "What's wrong with me?" he kept asking himself. "What's going on?" But though he struggled hard to remember, he never could. The more he tried, the more it hurt. It was as if someone didn't want him to remember. But who? Why?

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Cinderella tried to sneak into her room without being noticed, but she was caught as well. "Cinderella!" Sarah cried, hugging her daughter tightly, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Where did you go? We were so worried about you! There was a banging on the window, and when your father and I came to check on you, you were gone!"

"We nearly called the police!" Maurice told her. "What happened? Why did you worry us like that?"

"I'm so sorry," Cinderella told her parents. "My friend had an emergency at home. He needed me."

"He?" Maurice asked sharply.

"It's not what you think," Cinderella insisted. "His father was… very sick. My friend was afraid that his dad was dying. He needed someone to lean on."

"And how is his father?" Sarah asked.

"Much better, thank goodness. But he was in pretty bad shape. We worked hard to bring him back."

"Well, I'm glad you were able to help him," Maurice said, "but next time let us know, before you go running off and leaving your mother and I to think you were kidnapped."

Cinderella realized what she must have put her parents through, and she suddenly felt horrible. "I'm really, really sorry," she said, tears filling her eyes. "It won't happen again. I promise."

"Oh, Cinderella," Sarah sobbed, hugging her daughter close. "We love you so much, you know?"

"I know," Cinderella cried. "I love you, too. Both of you."

When the tears finally dried, Maurice asked his daughter, "So, when do we get to meet this friend of yours?"

"Soon," Cinderella said. "I promise."

"What's his name?" Sarah asked. "What's he like?"

"His name's Aladdin," Cinderella answered happily. "He's got dark hair, he's mischievous, and he's really sweet. You'll like him."

"I'm sure we will," Sarah answered with a smile. "Well, since it's our day off, we're going to catch up on a few hours sleep. You should, too."

Cinderella smiled. "Ok, Mom. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sweetie," Sarah answered, kissing her daughter's forehead. "I love you."

"So do I," Maurice said, kissing her goodnight as well.

"I love you both," Cinderella answered. Then they all three went to bed for some much needed sleep.


	7. Chapter 7: Night of Horror

CHAPTER 7

As soon as they could, Cinderella, Eric, and Jim went back to the forest. In the daylight, they could see the full extent of the damage the night before: Another area larger than the last had been burnt to ashes. Kida's stream had shrunk down to half its normal size, and she felt weak. Pocahontas' tree quivered in the wind, and she groaned with it. Both Ariel and Shang were tired and sore. Phil awoke to a nightmare, not at all helping the splitting headache.

That day, they all tried to put the pieces of their lives back together. Everyone agreed that Eric and Jim should watch the forest that night. So they went home and rested, preparing for the long night ahead of them.

When the night came, thick fog came with it, making it very difficult to see. Both boys stood together under a tree, talking quietly. They appeared relaxed, but both had their gifts ready, full strength and fully alert, to know if anyone approached.

But even their combined efforts couldn't prepare them for what happened next.

Out of nowhere, both boys were caught in a shock wave that hurled them backwards. Jim tried to jump up and fight this power, but found that he couldn't move. To his horror, he saw the tree he was under fall straight toward him, pinning him down and knocking him out cold.

Eric watched all this in terror, unable to move, then saw their enemy walking steadily towards him. "Eric," she said. He knew that face, he knew that voice. What he didn't know was how to fight her. "Arise," Vanessa ordered. He obeyed, without hesitation. "Eric," she said again, "You failed me once. You won't again, I'm sure." She looked deeply into his eyes. "Will you?"

He suddenly felt an unbearable pain in his head, sharp as nails driving into his temples. He tried to cry out in pain, but no noise came. "Will you?" Vanessa asked him again, more firmly.

He shook his head. "No!" And suddenly the pain was gone, along with Vanessa. But he knew what he had to do. He had his orders, written deep in his mind.

He felt numb as he walked forward, as though he was someone else. Seeing the two stones that were left for him, he raised them with his mind and, bringing his hands together in a clap, struck the rocks together, causing a spark that quickly turned to flames. Spreading his arms, he used his mind to throw the fire outward, and it quickly began to burn in at least twenty places. As he stood watching the flames, the voice in his head spoke again: "Well done, Eric. Well done."

Standing there, looking at what he had done, Eric felt a surge of satisfaction, and he laughed aloud.

Then he saw everything different in a flash. This was wrong! It must be stopped! He just had to put that fire out! But as he stepped forward, the pain came back full force. Crying out, he fell to his knees, his head in his hands. 'Well,' he thought, 'if I can't put out the fire, I can at least call for help.' But when he opened his mouth, no sound came out. He was stuck there, alone, in silent agony. 'No,' he thought, 'I can't give into this. I have to put out that fire!' Slowly he began crawling on all fours toward the flames, but each step made the pain even greater, every inch taking more effort than the last. His vision blurred, but he forced himself forward. He was nearly there when his arms collapsed, and his head landed on a rock.

Despite everything that had happened, Aladdin was finding it hard to sleep. He was rolling over for the hundredth time when he suddenly smelled smoke. A feeling of dread swept over him, and he jumped up, following the smoke to the source.

By the time he arrived, the flames had reached the tops of the trees, and was steadily moving outward. Aladdin didn't waste any time, he plunged in, kicking up dirt and beating out flames. As he did, he screamed, "Dad! Phil! Po! Kida! Help me!"

His family quickly joined him, and began to help. It took a while, but the fire was finally put out.

Looking around at the damage done, Aladdin fell to his knees and actually began to cry. No matter how hard they tried, it didn't help! Their world was still crumbling down around them. And it was beginning to look like there was nothing they could do to stop it.

As Kida walked over to help Pocahontas with her burns, she noticed something under the ashes. "Eric? Eric!" She ran over and began brushing dirt and ash off of him. "Eric!"

He didn't respond. She cupped her hands, and they filled with water. She then poured the water over his face. He sputtered and coughed. His eyes fluttered open. "Kida?" he asked weakly. "Guys?"

Aladdin was still on his knees. "What happened?" he asked, not looking up.

"We were keeping watch and… oh, no! Jim!" Eric exclaimed. He scrambled to his feet and stumbled towards the fallen tree. Using his mind, he lifted the tree and pushed it away. "Jim! Jim, wake up!"

His friend didn't respond. A feeling of dread overcame Eric, and he fell to the ground, his strength gone. "Oh, no," he whispered, "this is all my fault!"

Kida, who had followed him, stepped forward. "Here," she said, and gently poured water over Jim's face. Jim sneezed, and shook his head.

"Jim?" Eric asked, hopeful.

Jim opened his eyes and looked around, then moved to get up. Kida helped him. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"I think so," he answered. "Who did this?"

Eric looked around at his friends. "Guys, we need a meeting. Now."

While Aladdin went to get Cinderella, Kida and Ariel helped everyone clean their scrapes and burns. Eric had more than anyone, and more severe, as well as a huge knot on his head. But they didn't hurt him as much as what he was about to tell his friends.


	8. Chapter 8: Confession

CHAPTER 8

When Cinderella had arrived, Aladdin looked at Jim and asked, "Why are we all here? Shouldn't one of us be on guard?"

"It doesn't matter. We can't stop them anyway," Eric answered sadly.

"Sure we can," Phil spoke up, trying to be positive. "We just have to keep trying is all."

"It's no use," Eric insisted.

Phil put his hands on his hips. "What kind of attitude is that?"

"Guys, listen!" Eric exclaimed. "Do you remember the day we met? You asked me if I was in full control of myself. I said I was. I lied."

"What?" Ariel asked, worried.

"What are you talking about? Pocahontas asked him.

Eric sighed, and taking a deep breath, admitted, "I'm your enemy. I'm the one who's been doing all this."

"You?" Aladdin asked, hurt. "Why?"

"I couldn't help it!" Eric insisted.

"Well help this!" Jim yelled, and punched Eric in the face.

"Jim!" Shang shouted. "Back off!" Jim snarled, but obeyed.

Phil turned to Eric, who was wiping the blood off his lip, and asked, "If you were against us the whole time, why are you telling us this now?"

Everyone looked at him, waiting for his response. "Because I want to help you!" Eric cried. "She just won't let me!"

"Who's she?" Jim asked, fire still in his eyes.

Eric hesitated, thinking. "The one who's controlling me," he answered finally.

"What's her name?" Shang pressed.

Eric opens his mouth to answer, but the pain returns. "I… can't… tell you," he stammers. "She won't let me."

Shang put his hand on Eric's shoulder. "You have to choose a side, Eric," he said gently. "If you really want to help us, then you must tell us what you know."

Parker tried his hardest to remember. The pain was excruciating, but he just had to keep going. "She's… the… witch!" he finally stammered through clenched teeth.

Shang and Ariel look at each other, worried. "She's still alive?" Ariel asked.

The others turned to Ariel to find out about the witch, but Eric was stopped by the voice in his head. "You're a failure, Eric."

"No," Eric whispered.

"You've failed yourself," the voice continued.

"Shut up," said quietly.

"You've failed your friends."

"Stop it!" Eric clenched his eyes shut, but couldn't drown out the voice in his head growing steadily louder.

"And worst of all, you've failed me!"

Eric screamed as he felt a pain greater than anything he had ever felt, slowly ripping through his mind like a thousand knives. He fell to the ground almost instantly, holding his head in agony.

"Eric!" Cinderella exclaimed, running over to him.

"Ahh! Help me, please! AHHH!"

"How?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

Eric yelled. "My head! Get her out of my head!" he begged, crying and screaming in agony. "Please!"

Cinderella panicked. "I can't! I don't know how!"

"I can," Ariel told her. Shang had brought her over, and placed her beside Eric. Placing her hands on his temples, she closes her eyes. Her hands start to glow, and Eric screamed louder. He struggled, but Pocahontas and Kida held him down. He endured more agony than he had even thought possible to live through, before falling back, unconscious. He wasn't breathing.

Ariel let go, and nodded at Cinderella, who immediately used her magic to revive him. Gasping, he opened his eyes. "How do you feel?" Ariel asked him gently.

"Sore," he groaned. "Alone. Free." He grinned. "I feel free! The only voice in my head is mine! I'm free!" He threw his arms around Ariel. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"You may be free, but we're not," Shang reminded him. "We still have to reverse the damage that was done."

"The damage you've done," Jim snarled. He was the only one there who wasn't worried about Eric.

"We have to stop those contractors once and for all," Phil said, trying to change the subject back to what it needed to be.

"You can't," Eric told him. "She won't let you."

"She can't send you to stop us anymore," Phil reminded him.

"But she's the one in charge of…" Eric slapped his forehead. "the contract!

"What?" Cinderella asked, confused.

"I have the contract!" Eric announced.

"But you said it was stolen," Aladdin said.

"It was," Eric answered. "By me. I hid it at my house."

"Go get it," Shang told him.

"What?" Jim exclaimed. "You're actually trusting him? After what he did?"

"Well, if you're that worried about him, why don't you go with him? Make sure he does it correctly," Shang said.

"I'm not worried about him!" Jim snapped. "I just don't trust a traitor!"

"Go with him," Shang ordered. "Find the contract together, then bring it here."

Jim made a face, but knew better than to cross the centaur. "Yes, sir," he answered through clenched teeth. Eric scrambled to his feet, and they both headed off.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As they were walking, Jim asked, "So are you going to kill me on the way?"

Eric shook his head. "I don't have that kind of power anymore. When Ariel took the witch's voice out of my head, she also took my gift. I'm just a normal guy. And even if I could, I still wouldn't kill you."

Jim snorted. "I find that hard to believe."

Eric looked at him in disbelief. "You haven't died yet, have you?"

" 'Yet' being the key word here," Jim snapped. "You pinned me down with a tree and left me to die!"

"I came back, didn't I? She was controlling me!" Eric insisted.

"Yeah, sure she was," Jim retorted.

"I got hurt too!" Eric yelled.

"For what purpose?" Jim yelled back. "To gain our trust? You had it! You didn't have to throw it all away!"

"It was the only way to get free!"

Jim's jaw dropped. "From us?"

"From her!" Eric nearly screamed in frustration. "You have no idea how it feels to be controlled for eleven years of your life! To not be able to make your own decisions! To not even be able to think for yourself! Do you think I enjoyed being her puppet? I hated my gift!"

Jim shook his head. "You are way older than eleven."

Eric sighed. "When I was five years old, the witch transferred part of her husband's identity into me. From then on, I had a voice ringing in my head, and I couldn't ignore it, it was too loud and too powerful. It's not me who's your enemy, it's her!"

"Why didn't you just tell us?" Jim asked.

"She blocked my memory of her, I didn't know!"

"If you had known, would you have told us?" Jim challenged.

Eric sighed in defeat. "Probably not."

"Why?"

"I guess I'd be afraid she'd kill me," Eric admitted.

Jim shook his head. "She wouldn't have."

Eric looked at Jim sharply. "How do you know?" he asked.

"Look, if she went to all that trouble to save him into you, and to make sure you never knew about it, you actually think she would kill you? No, she's got something else in mind."

"But what?" Eric asked.

"How should I know?" Jim snapped. "You know her better than I do. I don't even know who she is yet." He shook his head in disgust. "Come on, we need to hurry."

Eric nodded, and they rushed to get the papers.


	9. Chapter 9: On The List

CHAPTER 9

Eric managed to sneak into his room, grab the papers, and sneak back out without being caught. After proving to Jim that it was really the contract, they headed back. By that time, the sun was beginning to come up.

They were almost to the forest when Jim suddenly stopped. Eric stopped as well. "What's up?" Eric asked.

"Cops," Jim answered in a whisper. "Wait here. I'll see what they want."

Jim walked forward. He hoped that he could just walk by without them noticing him. But he was disappointed.

"Hey, you, boy," one of the cops said.

Jim turned. "You talking to me?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm talking to you. Come over here." Jim walked over, not at all showing how nervous he really was. "What's your name?" the cop asked.

"Jim Porter."

"Archimedes Q. Porter's son?" the cop was suddenly very interested.

Jim became really nervous. "Yeah. Who are you?"

"Commander Rourke. And my Lieutenant, Helga Sinclair" The commander smiled. "You know, I hear you just moved back to our little town."

"That's right," Jim said.

Rourke raised his eyebrow. "Why did you leave?"  
>"Family crisis," Jim answered simply.<p>

"Really?" Rourke crossed his arms. "Of what nature?"

Jim copied the commander, crossing his arms as well. "What business is it of yours?"

"Touchy, touchy," Lieutenant Helga said.

Inwardly, Jim winced. He would have to come up with a story to get these cops off his tail. "My grandmother's health was failing. We had to go take care of her."

"I see," Helga said in a tone that said she didn't believe a word of it. "Was that the only reason?"

"Of course," Jim lied. "What else would there be?"

Rourke stepped toward him. ""Well, there is this nasty rumor going around that your parents took you away to hide you from someone."

"That's ridiculous," Jim managed to chuckle. "We weren't hiding."

"You know," Helga spoke up, "I find it interesting that about the time we start finding children who have been 'cursed', so to speak, you disappear."

Jim shrugged. "Coincidence."

"Perhaps," she answered. ""Or perhaps you're hiding something."

"I'm not hiding anything," Jim insisted.

Helga smiled, and it wasn't very friendly. "Then how is it that your name is on a list of children that the wizard watched over? Children that were never seen the same again?"

"How should I know?" Jim was starting to feel very threatened, but was trying his hardest not to show it.

"Don't play stupid with us, boy," Rourke suddenly snapped.

"I'm not playing stupid. I don't know what you're talking about!" Jim snapped back.

"Well, if you're telling the truth, then I suppose you wouldn't know what this is, would you?" Helga held out a container of strange cream. "Here."

"What is this?" Jim asked, taking it. Opening the top, his nose was filled with a smell long forgotten. His wolf instincts were suddenly heightened, but he managed to keep them under control with great difficulty. Quickly replacing the top, he handed the container back to Helga. "I don't know what that is. It's not mine."

"I see," Helga said, putting the container back into her pocket.

"Is this?" Rourke asked, pulling out a bottle.

"What is it?" Jim asked distrustfully.

"Here," Rourke said and, opening the bottle, thrust it toward Jim.

"Ugh!" Jim cried, stumbling back. "Close that stuff! It stinks!"

"So you remember it?" Rourke asked.

"It's hard to forget," Jim blurted, and immediately regretted it.

Rourke closed the bottle, smiling in triumph. "So he did touch you!"

Jim was thoroughly frightened by now. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, less convincing.

Rourke walked up to him, and spoke quietly. "I'll make you a deal, Jim, isn't it?" Jim nodded, too scared to speak. "You tell us what you know, give up quietly, and we'll forget you ever denied it."

Jim swallowed. "Denied what?" he asked shakily. "What are you talking about?" But inwardly, he knew his time was up.

Rourke scowled. "Fine. Have it your way." He pulled out a set of handcuffs. "Jim Porter, you're under arrest."

Unnoticed, a bird flew overhead watching as Jim was handcuffed and placed into a police car. Seeing Eric, it swooped down, transforming into Aladdin. "What happened?" he asked.

"I don't know!" Eric said, worried. "Jim saw the cops and told me to wait here. Next thing I know, they're arresting him!"

"Do you know what for?" Aladdin pressed.

Eric shrugged. "I have no clue. Now I wish I hadn't given up my gift. We would have got by, no problem."

"I don't know about that. They were probably sent by her. How else would they know to wait for him here?" Aladdin said thoughtfully.

Eric sighed. "Yeah, you're right."

"Come on, we have to tell the others," Aladdin told him. Nodding, Eric followed his friend into the forest.


	10. Chapter 10: Where is?

CHAPTER 10

In the forest, Phil ran up to Aladdin and Eric. "Have you guys seen Ariel?" he asked worriedly.

Aladdin chuckled at his brother. Sometimes he wasn't too bright, he thought. Out loud, he asked" Isn't she at the beach, where she always is?"

Phil shook his head. "No, she's not. We've looked everywhere she normally is, but we can't find her anywhere!"

Aladdin turned pale. "We just saw Jim being taken away. Do you think they took her too?"

"It's possible," Eric admitted reluctantly. "The witch lost me, so she may be trying to find someone else."

"What do we do?" Phil asked.

Aladdin thought fast. "We need a headcount. Go get everyone together, now!" he ordered his brother.

"I'm on it," Phil agreed, running off.

"While we wait, we should go over these papers," Eric suggested.

Aladdin agreed, and they began pouring over the contract. "What are we looking for?" Aladdin asked after a minute.

"Anything we can use to our advantage," Eric replied absently. "Wait a minute." He looked closely at the papers, then whooped with joy. "This is it! We found it!"

"What?" Aladdin asked.

Eric handed the paper to Aladdin, grinning ear to ear. "The forest is protected by law. They can't cut it down!"

Aladdin grinned back. "This should stop the contractors in their tracks," he noted happily.

"What should?" Shang asked, walking up with Cinderella by his side.

Aladdin opened his mouth to answer, but Eric stopped him, saying, "We'll tell you when everyone gets here."

Shang nodded, and they waited in silence. But they didn't have to wait long. Soon Phil ran up, followed by Pocahontas and Kida.

"I got them," Phil panted. "Did you find anything?"

Aladdin chuckled, holding out the contract. "You bet we did! This forest is protected as a wildlife preserve. Under no circumstances is it to be cut down."

"Which means," Eric cut in, "if we can prove this in court, the contractors will have to back off!"

"If we can prove it," Cinderella pointed out. "If she's as powerful as you say, it may be hard to prove anything if she's taken over their minds."

Shang nodded. "It's our word against theirs. They're bound to have papers saying they can bulldoze it."

"You're right," Aladdin said thoughtfully. "It's not like her to overlook something like this."

"She wants something from us," Eric said suddenly.

"What?" Kida asked, startled.

"She's been playing us like cards, and we're such idiots to fall for it!" Eric exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" Pocahontas asked him.

"Think about it," Eric explained. "She's destroying the forest, but not through cutting it down." They looked at him, confused. "By fire! Little by little! If the whole forest is burned to ashes, then there's no reason to save it as a preserve!"

The others turned pale as they realized what he was saying. "They wouldn't even have to cut," Cinderella said quietly. "They could just bulldoze away the dust and make something new, without breaking the law."

"Exactly," Eric nodded. "But there's something else, too. Something she wants that only we can give."

"What?" Kida asked.

"I'm not sure," Eric admitted. "But we should stick together from now on, just in case."

Shang nodded. "Good idea. We have to be cautious."

"But what about Ariel?" Phil asked.

"And Jim," Aladdin added.  
>Shang thought for a moment before speaking. "Eric, Aladdin, Cinderella, you three go into town and see what you can find out. The rest of us will comb the beach again in groups of two. Under no circumstances will any of us walk alone. Understood?" The others all nodded in agreement. "Let's go then."<p>

:::

When Eric, Aladdin and Cinderella reached town, Aladdin asked, "So where do we start?"

"The police station," Eric answered.

Aladdin asked, worried, "Are you sure that's a good idea? What if we have a warrant on our heads too?"

"We have to take that chance," Eric insisted. "That's the only place we can know for sure what's going on."

Cinderella nodded in agreement. "You're right. It's this way." And she led the way.

When they entered the station, they walked up to the desk where a woman was doing some paperwork. Her nametag read 'Sinclair'.

"Excuse me," Cinderella said politely.

The woman looked up. "Can I help you?"

"Perhaps," Cinderella answered her. "Have you seen a boy around our age with brown hair and a rat tail today? He dresses in old sailor clothes. His name is Jim. "

The cop shook her head. "Why are you asking?"

"He was supposed to meet us in the park this morning," Cinderella explained. "But he never showed up. We've looked everywhere in town, asked everyone he knows. He's nowhere to be found."

The woman leaned forward. "How do you know him?" she asked, suspicious.

Cinderella answered, "We go to school together, we're friends."

Lieutenant Sinclair sighed. "Let me give you kids a bit of advice: Don't look for him. In fact, forget you ever met him."

"But why?" Aladdin asked, stunned. This was not how cops normally acted!

Sinclair scowled. "That information is classified. Now I suggest you walk right out that door unless you want me to call security."

"That's all right," ma'am, we're leaving," Eric said quickly. "Come on, you guys." And he led them out the door quickly.

When they were back at the park, Cinderella asked, "What do you suppose happened?"

Eric sighed, frustrated. "I'm not sure. But she knows something. That's one of the cops that arrested him!"

Cinderella bit her lip, nervously. "I sure hope Jim's all right," she worried.

"You and me both," Aladdin told her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Jim was in a glass room. There were soldiers and scientists surrounding it. They were laughing at Jim, provoking him, taunting him. A gas containing the smell of the transforming cream was being pumped into the room, causing Jim to grow more and more wild with rage. Before long, his wolf instincts were uncontrollable. But without moonlight, he wasn't able to transform. So he thrashed and snarled in human form, clawing at the glass to try and attack his provokers. He was a human animal. They all smile in triumph, this is what they wanted.


	11. Chapter 11: The Witch

CHAPTER 11

Cinderella, Aladdin and Eric walked into the forest to find the other four waiting for them.

"Did you find out anything?" Kida asked hopefully.

Eric sighed. "Not much. They've definitely got Jim. They didn't say so, but they made it pretty clear."

"Did they say why?" Kida asked.

"No," Aladdin answered. "And when we tried to ask, they warned us off."

"The way she acted, I don't think they ever intend to let him go," Cinderella said sadly."

Pocahontas became angry. "Why are they doing this to us? We're just the same as they are!"

Eric put his hand on her shoulder. "Unfortunately, they don't see us that way."

Pocahontas pulled away from him angrily. "You can cut out that 'us' stuff! We all know you're just a regular human again. You're worthless!"

Her words stung him. "I may not have a gift anymore, but I'm still willing, and able, to help you until this is finished."

Cinderella walked up beside him, taking his hand in support. "So am I."

Aladdin put his hand on Eric's shoulder. "Me too."

They heard chuckling behind them, and quickly turned. "So, the three musketeers are at it again," Vanessa said mockingly.

"What do you want, Witch?" Eric asked, scowling.

"Only my fair share," she answered sweetly.

"You've had that for eleven years now," Eric snapped. "It's about time you back off."

"I'll be the one giving the orders around here!" Vanessa snapped back.

"What gives you the right?" Eric challenged.

Vanessa just smiled, an evil gleam in her eyes. "Perhaps your friend here gives me the right." Holding up her hand, she held up a magical mirror. Inside it, they saw Ariel, trapped in a deep hole.

"Ariel!" Aladdin exclaimed in horror. "What have you done with her?"

"Stay back," Vanessa warned them as they began to charge toward her. "Or she dies!"

They immediately stopped. Eric held up his hands in submission. "All right," he said calmly. "What do you want?"

"I want this forest," she answered.

Eric shook his head. "You can't have it."

Vanessa laughed at him. "And who's going to stop me? You? You have no power! Your pathetic friends cannot stop me. And now the forest is being ripped from you bit by bit. Admit it, I have the advantage!"

"But you lost me," Eric reminded her. "I'm not your slave anymore. You'll have to do your own dirty work from now on."

Vanessa shrugged. "You lose some to win some. I let you go for something bigger." She chuckled. "For years, you were simply a way to keep my husband alive. Then I realized that I could use you to get what I want. And lately you've been most helpful. Providing me with some excellent information. Not to mention granting me full access to the enemy camp."

That was more than Eric could take and he ran toward her, furious. But she simply rolled her eyes and batted him away like a fly. Eric fell several feet away, coughing, and finally managing to get up on his knees.

Vanessa snickered. "And now you are as weak as any mortal man. Sad, really. Eric Tremaine, the most powerful of them all, on his knees before anyone who crosses his path." She laughed darkly.

Cinderella, who had rushed over to help Eric, now stood. "You're nothing but a heartless tyrant!" she exclaimed. "You don't think of anyone but yourself!"

"On the contrary," Vanessa corrected her. "I just so happen to be thinking of someone else right now. One of you, in fact. One who will be my new servant."

Aladdin scowled. "We would rather die."

"All of you will die, sooner or later," Vanessa smirked. "All but one."

Kida stepped forward, furious. "We will never serve you, Witch!" she yelled.

Vanessa wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I'm not asking _you _to. You will die, along with the rest of your family. No, I want someone more powerful than you."

Cinderella paled. "Jim?"

"Oh, you clueless child," Vanessa laughed. "This will be easier than I thought. You know nothing! But that will soon change, with the training I can give you."

Cinderella winced. "No, thank you. I prefer Ariel's."

"But Ariel will no longer be around to help you. I'm your only hope for unlocking your powers."

Cinderella smiled. "A wise person once told me, that if I learn to use my gift on my own, then I will learn to use it properly, and be even greater in the end." Aladdin smiled at her proudly.

But Vanessa scowled. "We'll see about that. I suggest that you wise up before all your friends are long gone, all because of you."

Pocahontas spoke up, "You can't fool us. You're going to kill us whether we surrender or not."

"You never spoke a truer word," Vanessa agreed.

Cinderella shook her head determinedly. "I will have to decline your assistance then. Besides, I would rather die fighting beside my friends then become a begging slave for you!"

"You will regret this!" Vanessa yelled, furious. Then, with a wave of her arm, disappeared.

"Yeah, you wish," Pocahontas muttered before turning back to the others.


	12. Chapter 12: About the Witch

CHAPTER 12

Cinderella and Aladdin were helping Eric to his feet. He was a little scratched, but not severely hurt. Cinderella sighed. "She may be right. If I had given myself up, you might have got Ariel back. Maybe even Jim."

Eric shook his head. "It wouldn't have been worth it. Trust me, she trapped me with those same lines. But once she has control of your mind, nothing can stop you from doing anything she wants. Not even you."

"What I don't understand," Pocahontas spoke up, "is why you? I mean, what great power do you have that she wants so badly?"

"I don't know," Cinderella said sadly.

Phil snapped his fingers. "Wait a minute! That day when Ariel told you that you were a Fairy of the Hollow, Eric said he thought you were all dead, but he couldn't remember why he thought that."

"You're right," Eric said, remembering. "I couldn't. Probably because I wasn't the one who remembered. She was. She thought she had… killed them all off!"

"What?" Cinderella asked, shocked.

Eric looked at her apologetically. "Cindy, she killed your real parents."

Cinderella swallowed, trying not to cry. "Do you know why?"

Eric sighed. "She did it to get rid of the fairies because…" and then it hit him. "They're the only ones who can defeat her! Cindy, she's scared of you! She wants to control you because you're the only one who can ruin her plans!"

"Then we better figure out how fast, before she takes another one of us," Cinderella decided.

Kida took her hands, smiling sadly. "Don't worry about us. Our lives are worth nothing if we can't stop her from taking you."

"She's right," Shang said. "Protecting you should be our first priority. Aladdin, I want you to stay with her at all times." Aladdin nodded, and put his arm around her protectively. "Eric," Shang continued, "we need to know everything about the witch, and we need to know it now."

"Yeah," Pocahontas said, crossing her arms. "No more holding out on us."

Eric blushed, ashamed. "I'm on your team now," he said quietly.

But Pocahontas just glared at him. "You still have to prove that," she snapped.

"Pocahontas," Shang said warningly. She huffed, but grew quiet. Shang nodded for Eric to continue.

Taking a deep breath, Eric began. "She's definitely scared of Cindy. I felt that much when we first found out what she was. But as to what can defeat the witch, she never said."

Aladdin huffed. "She wouldn't. She's too smart for that. She knew that if you ever got away, you could use that knowledge against her."

"And I would, too," Eric said firmly.

"Did she let anything slip out, or show any signs of weakness?" Shang pressed.

Eric shook his head. "No. She sees herself as the strongest there is. The first time I felt fear was when I met Cindy."

"Maybe there's something about fairies that can defeat even the witch," Phil suggested.

"Not just any fairies," Eric insisted. "Fairies of the hollow. Apparently they've got some sort of special power that she's afraid of."

"Like what?" Pocahontas asked.

Eric sighed in frustration. "I don't know. But she believes that it was passed down to Cindy."

"It may very well be," Shang replied. "Cinderella is full blooded."

"But what is it?!" Cinderella exclaimed. "What is it about me that scares her so much?"

Eric shrugged. "The only way to know that is to figure out what powers you actually have. If you can tell me what you can do, I can tell you what she is and isn't afraid of."

"I don't know what I can do!" Cinderella cried. "I just now found out that I even have powers! I've barely used them at all!"

"Four times," Eric told her. "And the power to heal doesn't frighten her, it angers her."

"Why?" Phil asked.

"Because it goes against her wishes. In her eyes, both Shang and I should both be dead by now, but you brought us back. So she's mad. All she thinks about is herself."

"What could you possibly have that she could use to her advantage?" Kida asked.

"Not eternal life," Eric said. "Because of her magic, she has that already. The only way she can die is to be killed."

Cinderella turned pale. "You mean I have to kill her?!"

"I didn't say that," Eric insisted. "Besides, she not afraid of dying. It's…" he sighed, thinking hard before he finally realized, "losing her power! Cinderella, you must have the ability to take her power away! That's what the Fairies of the Hollow have to their advantage; if someone goes bad, you can take away their powers with the snap of a finger. You have that control, Cindy. That's why she's so scared of you, and that's why she wants to control you."


	13. Chapter 13: Tests

CHAPTER 13

"Wait a minute," Aladdin spoke up. "If Cinderella can take away power, can she give it back?"

"I think so," Eric replied uncertainly.

"Well, let's test it then," Aladdin said. "Cindy, give Eric back his power." Everyone gasped. "It's the only way to prove that she really does have the power. If it wasn't passed on to her, I'd like to know before we face the witch again," Aladdin explained.

"But giving power must be different from taking it away," Phil pointed out.

"I know," Aladdin admitted. "But this would be the safest way to see if she even has the power at all."

Eric nodded reluctantly. "I guess you're right." He turned to Cinderella. "Are you ready?"

She swallowed. "As ready as I'll ever be," she answered shakily.

Eric nodded again, then closed his eyes. "Ok, go."

Cinderella closed her eyes, and trusted her instincts. Muttering a few words of the fairy language that she didn't know she knew, she snapped her fingers toward Eric.

After a moment, Aladdin spoke up. "Did it work?"

Eric shrugged. "I do feel different. Almost like… wait a minute." Focusing on a nearby rock, he easily lifted it with his mind. He chuckled. "It's back! Not as strong, but it would have been like that anyway. There's only me controlling it now."

"Do you want me to try making it stronger?" Cinderella asked him.

Eric shook his head. "It's strong enough. If it were more, I might not be able to control it."

"But what if we need that additional strength to defeat her?" Cinderella asked.

Eric thought for a minute. "Could you give me a mind block? If I could prevent her from entering my mind again, that's all the strength I would need."

"I'll try," she said. Focusing on his mind, she snapped her fingers toward him again. "Did that work?"

"Well, I feel stronger, more alert, more to myself. Good gracious, girl, you made me stronger than I ever was with the witch!" Eric exclaimed happily. Cinderella smiled in relief.

Aladdin pointed out," That's because you're in control now, not her."

"This is great and all," Phil spoke up, "but like I said, giving someone power is bound to be different from taking it away."

Aladdin shrugged. "We can test that too. Cinderella, you have my full permission to take my powers away."

"But what if I can't give it back?" Cinderella asked.

"You can," he assured her. "Just try it. Once you get used to it, it will be easier. Trust me."

"Ok," she said uncertainly. Then closing her eyes again, she muttered a few more words and snapped towards herself. "Did it work?"

Aladdin winced. "I guess so. I can't transform. "

"Now give it back!" Phil exclaimed, suddenly afraid for his brother. Nodding, Cinderella performed the same thing she had done with Eric, with only a few words different.

"How's that?" she asked nervously.

Aladdin immediately turned himself into a cat. "Meow," he said, smiling. Everyone laughed, and Aladdin changed back to normal.

"All right, enough fun and games. Let's go fight the witch," Aladdin announced.

"No," Cinderella said.

Everyone looked at her, shocked. "What?" Phil asked.

"I want to find Jim first," she explained. "He may need our help."

"But we don't even know where Jim is," Kida reminded her.

"Really, we'll have just as much trouble finding the witch," Pocahontas pointed out.

"She's got a point," Phil agreed.

Kida sighed. "I guess so."

"Eric," Aladdin spoke up, "I saw the way you found my family in the woods. Could you find Jim the same way?"

"I think so." Eric closed his eyes and searched with his mind. They all stood there for about ten minutes, waiting. Then, finally, Eric exclaimed, "I see him! He's at a secret military base, and he's not ok."

"What's wrong with him?" Pocahontas asked worriedly.

"They've locked him somewhere where he can't transform. Then they've tortured him until his instincts have taken over. He's turning into a human animal, and he can't survive long like that."

"How long does he have?" Shang asked.

"Not long," Eric told him.

A fire began to burn in Cinderella's eyes. "Where's the base? We're going."

Eric winced. "By the time we get there, it will be too late," he told her.

"Are there any streams nearby?" Kida asked suddenly.

Eric was surprised. "A few, I think."

"Show me," Kida demanded.

"I don't have a map," Eric said.

Kida looked at him like he was stupid. "Draw one in the sand, genius."

"Oh, right!" Eric knelt down and drew a map on the ground. "Here's the base. It's deep in the mountains. There's a stream running very close by, here."

Kida nodded. "That's where we'll go in, then," she announced.

"You mean a whirlpool?" Phil asked. "Kida nodded. "All right!" he whooped. "I've always wanted to try one of those!"

"What's a whirlpool? Eric asked.

"It's like a transporter from one stream to another," Aladdin explained.

"We'll likely need two horses to carry all of us when we arrive," Kida pointed out.

Shang nodded in agreement, then turned to his daughter. "Pocahontas, I need you to stay here in your tree and watch the forest. Under no circumstances are you to let yourself be seen. Understood?"

Pocahontas nodded. "Yes, Father."

Shang smiled at her. "Be safe," he said, hugging her.

"Be careful," she replied.

Then they set off to the stream where Kida prepared a whirlpool. "Everybody hang tight, here we go!" Kida exclaimed. They all huddled close together as the swirling water surrounded them.

Pocahontas watched until they were gone, then headed to her tree to keep watch.


	14. Chapter 14: Entrance

CHAPTER 14

In a stream high in the mountains, water began to swirl faster and larger before it finally stopped, flinging water on everything nearby. Where it was, five human like creatures appeared. All but one began coughing up water. The girl not coughing was breathing heavily.

After a minute, when everyone had caught their breath, Phil exclaimed, "That was awesome!"

The others laughed, then Kida spoke up. "Is everyone ok?" she asked.

Eric shook his head to clear it. "Just a little dizzy," he answered.

"Are we where we're supposed to be?" Cinderella asked him.

Eric looked around. "Yeah, I think so." Getting his bearings, he pointed. "The base is just over there. Not far from here at all."

"You can lead me, then," Aladdin said, turning into a horse. Eric climbs up, then offers Cinderella a hand. Smiling, she took it, and climbed up behind him.

"Up you get," Shang said, pulling Phil onto his own back. Then Shang turned to his stepdaughter. "Kida, Stay here and stay hidden. We're going to need a portal back as soon as we come running."

Kida nodded. "I'll be ready," she promised. Shang nodded, and they headed off.

Not five minutes later, Eric motioned for them to stop, pulling Aladdin's mane to get his attention. "This is it," he said quietly.

"Not to put a damper on things," Phil spoke up, "But how are we going to get in? Surely we can't just waltz through the front door unnoticed."

Eric smiles. "That's exactly what we're going to do," he announced. "Trust me."

Two guards were standing by the door. They raised their weapons when they saw Eric, Aladdin (who was himself again), and Cinderella pulling Shang and Phil toward them.

"Who goes there?" one of the guards asked loudly.

Eric spoke confidently. "The Witch's servants, bringing more subjects for her experiments."

"I don't recall her requesting more subjects," the other guard said.

"Then you're an idiot," Eric said harshly. "I was ordered to bring these freaks up here so she can finish her tests." He glared at the guards. "Or are you doubting her orders now?"

The guard immediately straightened up. "I'll show you the way, then," he offered.

Eric scoffed. "I know the way. I've been here before. Or have you forgotten that too?" And he roughly led the others through the door, leaving the guards feeling foolish and confused.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Phil spoke up. "Ok, that was freaky."

Aladdin glanced at Eric wearily. "Have you really been here before?"

Eric smiled and shook his head. "Not a day in my life," he chuckled.

"How long will it take them to figure out you lied?" Shang asked.

"They shouldn't even remember we came in," Eric assured him. "It's going out that will be the hard part."

Cinderella asked, worried, "Will she let us leave?"

Eric ran his fingers through his hair nervously. "So long as she doesn't know we're here we'll be ok. I can manipulate those guards, but I have no control over her."

"But can't Cindy just take the witch's powers away, like she did mine?" Aladdin asked, confused.

Eric shook his head. "It might not be that simple," he warned. "If she's on her guard, we won't be able to do anything until she drops it."

"I thought you said she couldn't stop me," Cinderella exclaimed, frightened.

"I said you were the only one who could stop her," Eric corrected gently. "But you'll have to wait until she's off guard, otherwise even your powers are useless."

Aladdin sighed. "It figures. Why does she have to be so powerful?"

Eric shrugged. "She's spent the last three hundred years making herself the most powerful being on earth. We're lucky there's someone alive today who can stop her."

Cinderella stared at Eric in shock. "Three hundred years?"

Eric nodded. "At least."

Suddenly a scream echoed throughout the base. They all froze.

"What was that?" Cinderella asked shakily.  
>Eric was pale. "Jim. Come on, this way!"<p>

Eric led the way down hallway after hallway. The screaming continued, growing louder, mixed with snarls and growls. "He doesn't even sound human," Cinderella panted as they hurried along.

Suddenly, they heard the witch's voice behind them: "That's because he's not." They all stopped and turned. She was grinning. "And neither are any of you," she continued. "My job is to prove it, so that no one has any objections to killing you."

Aladdin rushed toward her in fury only to find himself blocked by an invisible barrier, knocking him to the ground.

"Why are you so afraid of us?" Cinderella yelled.

"Afraid of you?" Vanessa spat disgustedly. "I'm not. I simply want you out of the way." Then using her magic, she threw them all against the wall, causing them to cry out in pain. "Guards!" Vanessa yelled.

Three guards showed up almost at once. "Yes, my lady?" they asked.

"Lock these traitors up," she ordered. "I want them unharmed." Grinning, she added, "They will do nicely for my next experiment."

Eric glared at her as he was led away struggling. She smiled in triumph, and with a snap of her fingers, he lost all consciousness.


	15. Chapter 15: Like a Human

**Sorry for not updating. First I couldn't access the internet, then my computer clunked out completely! Everything happens at once, right? Anyway, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

**...**

Chapter 15:

When Aladdin woke up, he found himself in a bare cell with Aladdin and Cinderella.

"Eric, you're awake!" Cinderella exclaimed, relieved.

"Where are we?" Eric groaned, sitting up slowly. He had a splitting headache.

Aladdin answered from where he was sitting, in the corner, moping. "We're the Witch's prisioners."

"I think she took away our powers," Cinderella said softly.

Eric frowned. "She's powerful, but that's one thing she _can't_ do. Otherwise, we'd all be dead by now."

"Than explain why I can't change!" Aladdin snapped.

Eric shrigged. "It's probably a spell. She likely enchanted the room so that her prisoners couldn't use their powers against her."

"It makes sense," Cinderella agreed.

Aladdin sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. So how do we get out of here? I don't want to be her next project."

Eric winced. "We'll have to think like a normal person. It might not be that easy."

"What do you mean, it won't be wasy?" Cinderella asked. "I've thought like a human all my life. All you have to do is be a little creative. Think of ideas that don't involve your powers."

"Easier said then done," Aladdin said mournfully.

"Well, how do you handle problems at school?" Cinderella challenged him. "You can't use your powwers there, remember? just pretend we're at school, and people are watching."

"They may very well be watching us," Eric said under his breath. Aloud, he added, "We'll have to be careful."

But looking around the room, they found nothing to help them. The walls were strong, and the room itself was completely bare, without even a bed to lie on. "The only way out is the door," Aladdin noted finally.

Eric nodded in agreement. "We'll have to unlock it."

"Yeah, but how?" Aladdin asked.

"I've got it!" Cinderella exclaimed, and pulled a bobby pin out of her hair. ""We pick the lock!"

Aladdin grinned. "Brilliant!"

Eric smiled as well. "It's so simple!"

"Not quite so simple," Cinderella admitted, her smile fading. "I've never done it before."

"I have," Eric told her, holding out his hand. Resisting the urge to ask when, she handed him the bobby pin.

Taking it, he turned and walked confidently toward te door. But as soon as he touched the bars, he cried out as bolts of electricity shot through his body and flung him into the far wall.

"Eric!" Cinderella cried, rushing to him, Aladdin right behind her. "Are you all right?" In answer, Eric simply gave a weak groan. Cinderella's eyes filled with tears. "Please say something," she begged.

Eric could barely breathe, and he was tingeling all over, but he managed to say, "That hurt."

Cinderella smiled sadly. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," he told her hoarsly, struggling to sit up. They helped him. "It was a good idea. We just have to be more careful."

Cinderella's eyes grew wige as he tried to stand. "You're not going to try again, are you?" she gasped.

Eric nodded weakly. "I have to."

"But another shock might kill you!" Cinderella exclaimed, trying to hold him back.

Eric shrigged. ""It's worth the risk," he insisted. "I'll just be more careful." But when he stood, he could barely keep his balance, and was forced to sit back down. When he reied to stand again, Aladdin stopped him.

"Wait, Let me try."

Cinderella and Eric looked at each other and nodded reluctantly. Aladdin took the bobby pin from Eric and headed towards the door.

"Be careful," Eric warned. "Don't touch the bars."

Aladdin nodded nervously. Finding where the lock was, he slowly put his arms through the bars, careful not to touch them, and began to pick the lock. It took several minutes.

Just when he thought that he couldn't hold his arms up any longer, the lock finally clicked, and the door swung open. All three of them gave a sigh of relief.

"You did it!" Cinderella cheered.

"I don't believe it," Eric said in shock.

"What, you didn't think I had it in me?" Aladdin asked, grinning. Cinderella smiled back, then turned to Eric, who was grinning as well.

"We've got to get out of here. Do you know where the others are?"

Eric closed his eyes, but opened them a second later. "She's blocking my thoughts. I can't find them," he announced sadly.

Cinderella smiled bravely. "I guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way, then."

Aladdin nodded. "Like humans."

Eric sighed. "Maybe they haven't moved Jim yet. Come on!" He took off running, followed by the other two. But when they arrived at the room, it was empty.

Cinderella groaned. Eric sighed in frustration. "He was right here!" he announced angrily.

"Well, he's gone now," Aladdin said.

Eric threw up his arms. "Great," he cried sarcastically. "That's just great!" He turned to his friends. "How are we ever going to find him?"

"By working together," Cinderella told him gently.

"Say," Aladdin spoke up, "Can you make his power any stronger?"

Cinderella shrugged. "I can try.

"It won't do any good," Eric told them. "If she's blocking my thoughts, it won't matter how much power I have. She'll still block me."

"I'll try and override the block, then," Cinderella decided.

She closed her eyes in concentration. Eric closed his as well. A minute later, he cried, "You did it! Just a little longer..." His eyes flew open. "Got it!"

"Do you see him?" Aladdin asked.

Eric nodded. "He's this way. Hurry!"

Eric led them through hallway after hallway, finally stopping in front of a door. "He's in here. We have to hurry before the Witch comes."

"But how do we get in?" Aladdin asked, looking the door over. "There's no lock to pick.

"It's a combination lock," Eric pointed out, pointing to the box beside the door. "Hang on." He placed his hand over the controls. A second later, the door hissed open.


	16. Chapter 16: Surprise

CHAPTER 16

When the door opened, they saw Jim lying weakly on a stone cot. They quickly rushed over to him.

"Jim," Eric called to him. Jim didn't respond. Eric began to shake him gently. "Jim!"

Jim stirred and opened his eyes weakly. "Eric?" he asked hoarsely. "Cindy? Al? What are you doing here? I didn't think you'd come back for me."

Eric shook his head and smiled. "Hey, what are friends for?"

Jim looked Eric in the eye. "We're friends?" he asked. Eric felt his heart drop, and his smile faded.

Aladdin stepped forward. "Yeah, we are." Jim smiled and held out his hand. Aladdin took it.

Suddenly, without warning, Jim pulled Aladdin hard. Losing his balance, Aladdin fell forward and hit his head on the corner of the cot, knocking him out.

"Jim, what are you doing?!" Cinderella exclaimed, horrified.

Jim didn't answer, simply stood up and pushed her against the wall hard, knocking the wind out of her. Eric began to fight him. But Jim was stronger, and immediately got the upper hand, placing his hand around Eric's neck and beginning to choke him.

"You made a mistake trusting me," Jim snarled.

But Eric saw in his mind, and he knew that this wasn't him. "Jim," he gasped, "she's controlling you. You have to fight her!"

"I can't!" Jim spat out, squeezing harder. Eric's vision began to grow dark.

Having caught her breath, Cinderella used a power she didn't know she had, her magic pushing Jim against the wall and holding him there. Eric was released, and fell to the floor, coughing and breathing heavily. Cinderella tried to rush over to help Eric, but was stopped by a hand on her arm. Looking behind her, she saw the witch.

"You're going to regret that," Vanessa warned.

Cinderella pulled away. "I may regret whatever you do to me," she answered bravely, "but I'll never regret saving his life!"

Fire burned in the witch's eyes. "He should have died the day he lost his power!" she screamed furiously, and threw Cinderella so high that she hit the ceiling. When Cinderella fell to the floor, a few of the ceiling tiles fell with her. She simply lay there for a minute, the breath knocked out of her.

Vanessa laughed, her voice deep and cruel, and suddenly began to transform. Her hair grew short and white, her skin turned purple, and her two legs became six black tentacles. Slithering over to Cinderella, she picked the stunned girl up by the neck, the suckers on her tentacles leaving marks that would last a long time. Cinderella gasped, trying desperately to breathe, but failing.

The witch looked at Cinderella, a gleam in her eye. "The last fairy," the witch sneered. "The final obstical." Then the witch smiled. "Now I will be ruler of all the world. No one will be able to defeat me!"

"You want to bet?" Aladdin asked angrily. The witch looked up in surprise. He had transformed into a huge tiger and immediately pounced her, claws out and teeth bared. She lifted a hand to swat him away, but was surprised to be attacked from behind by Eric and Jim, who had been released from both of them unconsciously during the fight. The witch screamed in fury. She had been so focused on Cinderella, that she hadn't even noticed the boys waking up!

As Cinderella struggled to stay conscious, she heard Eric's voice in her head: "Cindy, now!"

Mustering all her strength, Cinderella managed to take away the witch's magic in the few seconds that the boys had caught her off guard. Screaming in agony, the witch dropped Cinderella, who crawled away, gasping for breath.

As the boys gathered protectively around Cinderella, all four of them watched in horror as they saw the witch die, quickly disintegrating before their eyes until there was nothing left but a pile of dust.

The four friends sat in silence for a minute, shocked. Finally, Cinderella spoke up. "Did I kill her?"

"No," Eric assured her quickly. "You didn't. She killed herself. Three hundred years caught up to her all at once. It couldn't be helped."

Jim shook his head, ashamed of himself for being controlled, and happy to be rid of the witch at last. "Come on, let's get out of here."

...

**Sorry for the short chapter, I'll try to do better. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! **


	17. Chapter 17: Escape

CHAPTER 17

Aladdin looked at Eric. "Where's Ariel?" he asked. "And Dad and Phil?"

Eric closed his eyes, and opened them a second later. "Just down the hall. Come on!"

Eric unlocked the door. When it hissed open, Phil turned, ready to fight, but stopped when he saw them. "Al," he exclaimed happily.

Aladdin grinned. "Dad! Phil! You're all right!"

Shang stepped forward. "Where's Ariel?" he asked worriedly.

Aladdin's heart sank. "She's not here?"

Shang shook his head. "No."

Eric spoke up, "She's underground, in a tank."

Cinderella sighed. "At least they were that thoughtful."

"Not really," Jim told her. "They just wanted to keep her alive for something worse. They only experiment with one 'freak' at a time."

Aladdin clenched his fists in fury. "Figures," he said through his teeth.

Phil turned to Eric. "Where is she?" he asked.

"Not far," Eric answered. "Come on."

He led them down several hallways, soon stopping over a trap door in the floor. "She's down there."

"Well, open it!" Phil nearly yelled.

Eric tried to open it with his mind, but then was surprised. "It's been sealed by magic; it has to be opened by brute force."

"Step aside," Jim told him, and began pulling on the handle. He blinked in surprise when it didn't budge. Looking up at Eric, he asked, "Well, are you just gonna stand there?"

Eric quickly leaned over and helped pull. Grunting from the strain, they began to lift the trap door little by little. When it finally opened, Jim turned to Eric and nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem," Eric answered, a little out of breath. And in that second, Eric knew he was finally forgiven.

From below, a voice called, "Eric? Is that you?"

"Ariel!" Aladdin cried. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Ariel answered shakily," but you've got to get me out of here!"

"In progress," Aladdin called to her, then looked at Eric. "Eric, any ideas?"

"Is there anything down there you could use as a ladder?" Eric asked her.

"No," she answered. "They threw me in. The only one that ever came down was the witch, and she used her powers."

Eric nodded, thinking, then turned to Aladdin. "Al, is there any type of flying animal you could use?"

Aladdin shook his head. "None strong enough to carry her."

Eric sighed. "Shoot. There's got to be something." Then a thought hit him. Turning to Cinderella, he asked, "You can't fly, can you?"

Cinderella was surprised. "I don't know; I don't think so."

"Have you tried?" Eric pressed.

"No," she admitted.

"Well, try," Aladdin spoke up. "Maybe you can. Most fairies do."

Cinderella nodded nervously. Closing her eyes, she spread her arms. For a moment, her back sparkled, then suddenly beautiful transparent wings appeared. She slowly began to lift off the ground.

"Cindy, you're flying!" Phil blurted.

Cinderella's eyes flew open. "What?" Then her eyes went wide. "I am flying! I can fly!"

"Well, fly on down," Aladdin reminded her. "Ariel needs out, now!"

"Right, sorry," Cinderella apologized. She flew down and hovered over the water. "Here, grab on," she told Ariel. Ariel swam over and wrapped her arms around Cinderella.

"Hold on tight," Cinderella told her, then flew out to where the others were waiting. Hovering over Shang, she gently let Ariel down on his back. Ariel threw her arms around him, glad to be back with her husband again.

Aladdin spoke up. "Let's get out of here."

"Wait!" Jim stopped them. "Eric, can you locate my parents? The guards said that they were arrested too."

Eric closed his eyes and searched for a minute, then responded, "They're at the station back home."Jim nodded, a little relieved.

"Back home it is, then," Phil rushed them. "Come on, let's get moving!"

Shang nodded in agreement. "Jim, ride with Ariel. Make sure she doesn't fall," he ordered.

"You got it," Jim answered, hopping on Shang's back behind Ariel.

Then Shang turned to the others. "Eric, Phil, you two ride on Aladdin."

"Ok," Phil agreed. Aladdin turned into a horse, and Eric climbed onto his back, pulling Phil up with him.

"Cinderella," Shang said, looking at her. "I want you to fly on ahead. Make sure Kida is ready when we get there."

"All right," she agreed nervously, hoping she would be able to fly fast enough.

"Let's move then, come on!" Phil urged. Then he remembered something. "Wait, how are we getting out of here?"

"We can't use the same tactic we used coming in," Eric admitted. "They'll know something's off by now. We'll have to make a run for it."

They headed over to the same door they had entered in hours before. "Ready?" Eric asked. Everyone nodded. Shang and Aladdin got ready to run. Cinderella took a deep breath, her wings out.

Eric unlocked the door, and they ran as fast as they could, startling the already confused guards. They could hear shouting behind them, and suddenly gunshots were fired. But the bullets simply bounced off them, causing no damage. "Keep running, I've got this," Eric assured them.

So Shang and Aladdin ran straight towards the stream. Cinderella, however, outdistanced both of them in a flash. She was surprised at just how fast she could fly. In no time, she reached the stream, and landed beside a startled Kida.

"Quick, make your whirlpool!" Cinderella said urgently. "We have to get out of here!"

"Are the others coming?" Kida asked, getting it started.

Cinderella nodded. "Any second now."

Sure enough, they began to hear hoofbeats coming toward them at a very fast pace. When they appeared a second later, the whirlpool was ready.

"Hurry, or you'll be left behind!" Kida called. Everyone crowded around her, and the whirlpool whisked them away, the sound of gunfire quickly fading to nothing.

...

**Sorry for the slow updates, life is crazy. A special thank you for SLHGOUATTLKFAN** **for your continued support; if it wasn't for you, I probably would have given up long before now.**


	18. Chapter 18: Challenge

CHAPTER 18

They stumbled out of the stream sputtering. Jim fell to kis knees, grabbing a handfull of dirt.

"Home," he whispered.

Shang stepped forward. "Pocahontas!" he called.

A minute later, Pocahontas stepped from the trees. "Here I am, Father" she said.

"Did we have any visters?" Shang asked her.

"Only one," she answered. "He was surveying the forest. He must have seen something he liked, because he went away smiling."

"Do you know who he was, or where he went?" Eric spoke up.

"No," she shook her head.

"We'll just have to find him, then," Jim decided.

Eric put his hand on Jim's shoulder. "You can't go with us, Jim," he said gently.

"What?" Jim asked, hurt.

"If the cops see you, they'll just arrest you again." Eric explained. "You need to stay in the forest with the others. Until this thing is setteled, you can't be seen."

"Eric's right," Shang agreed. "You have to become an outlaw, like us. You must stay here."

"But what about my parents?" Jim argued.

"We'll do what we can to get them free," Eric promised.

Jim nodded reluctantly. "Ok. I trust you."

"Eric, Cinderella, Aladdin, you three go to town," Shang ordered. "Find out what you can. And be careful."

"Yes, sir," Aladdin said. "Come on, guys."

The three of them left. Jim watched them go, sighing. Kindly, Kida walked up to Jim and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her, and she smiled. He managed to smile back.

...

Eric, Aladdin and Cinderella were talking about where to go first as they walked through the park. Suddenly, Eric saw someone he thought he recognised. "Clayton?"

Aladdin and Cinderella looked. A muscular man sat on a park bench, smiling at a notebook he was writing in.

"Do you know him?" Cinderella asked Eric.

"Yeah, I think so," Eric answered. "If I'm not mistaken, that's the man in charge of all the other contractors, the head boss."

"Then we should talk to him," Aladdin suggested. "Perhaps the witch was using her magic to have him agree to this. Maybe we can convince him to stop."

Eric winced. "I don't think she had to use her magic," he told them. "All he cares about is money. Point him to a paycheck, and he'll do anything."

Cinderella shrugged. "Well, it's worth a try."

"Yeah, I guess so," Eric agreed. "Come on." Then he called out, "Clayton!"

Calyton turned and saw him. "Have we met?" he asked, then looked closer. "Ah, yes, I remember you. You worked for that girl, Vanessa."

"Not anymore," Eric said bitterly.

"Whatever," Clayton shrugged, not caring in the least. "What can I do for you?"

"You can leave the forest alone," Eric said.

Clayton smiled. "Are you joking, boy? That forest is going to be the best payout I've had in a long time."

"It's a wildlife preserve," Eric said fimly. "It would be illegal for you to cut it down."  
>Clayton laughed. "Some preserve! Have you seen it lately? Half of it's a giant ash pile!"<p>

"It will grow back!" Aladdin spoke up.

Clayton shook his head. "It's not worth keeping it as an eyesore until then."

"But what about the animals?" Cinderella asked him. "Where will they go?"

Clayton gave a smile. "Hunting season."

"No!" Aladdin exclaimed. "You can't just kill all the animals the city promised to protect!"

Clayton glared at him. "Try and stop me," he snarled.

"Fine, we will," Aladdin said angrily.

"You'll never suceed," Chayton smiled. "I have the paperwork."

"So do I," Eric spoke up. "It says the land is protected by law."

"Prove it," Clayton challenged.

"I will," Eric met the challenge. "In court."

Clayton looked surprised. "You can't..." he began, but Eric interrupted him.

"I can, and I will. And they'll stop you once and for all."

Clayton glared at the teens. "You'll never win," he finally spat at them, and walked away angrily.

When Clayton was out of sight, Cinderella turned to Eric. "In court?" she asked, shocked. "Are you crazy? We're just teenagers! We're not even out of school yet!"

"Speaking of school, we have to go back in the morning," Aladdin reminded them.

"So we'll schedule the hearing for after school hours," Eric said. "Do you guys want to save the forest or not? This is our only chance!"

Aladdin nodded. "You're right. Let's do this."

"But how?" Cinderella asked. "School starts at eight, and the courthouse doesn't open until nine!"

Eric sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'll just play hookie, then."

"But that will show badly on you," Aladdin objected. "Let me do it. I'm not even human anyway. My future isn't half as bright as yours."

"But I've studied law for the past few months. How much do you know about it?" Both Aladdin and Cinderella were silent. "It has to be me. I'm the only one that knows what to do."

"Could you at least ask your father to send you a note, excusing you for the day?" Cinderella pressed.

"My father... would never do that. He doesn't know, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"You can't hide forever," Cinderella told him gently.

"You don't know what he's like," Eric insisted. "He would see me as a monster. He would never understand."

Aladdin put his hand on Eric's shoulder supportively. "You don't know until you try," he said. "Maybe he'll surprise you."

Eric sighed. "I'll try to get a day pass," he said, "but that's all I can promise."

...

"Absolutely not!" Frollo shouted.

"But Father," Eric pressed, "You wanted me to be in law, and this is the perfect starting case! I have proof that they shouldn't tear down the forest, and if I wait until after school, it could be too late!"

Frollo sighed angrily, and glared at his son. Eric was too afraid to even try using his powers. But they weren't needed.

"Fine," Frollo snapped. "But just this once. And you better win!"


	19. Chapter 19: Town Square

CHAPTER 19

On their way to school the next morning, Cinderella asked Eric, "Did you get the note?"

"Yeah," Eric answered. "I just gotta deliver it and leave. There shouldn't be any problems."

"Does he know yet?" Aladdin asked.

"No," Eric said quietly. "He wasn't in the best of moods. I couldn't tell him."

Suddenly they heard shouting ahead of them. "What's going on?" Cinderella asked, curious.

Eric shook his head, puzzled. "I don't know. Let's go find out."

They ran toward the town square, where a crowd had gathered. Clayton was on a platform, motioning for quiet. Then he began to speak:

"For many years now, the forest has been an eyesore, a place of fear and superstition that no one will go near. It's time to put an end to this!" The crowd murmured in approval. "Now I've been in this forest. I walked through it just yesterday, looking to see if there was something worth saving. There isn't. Much of it has burned to the ground, and what little timber there is left is good, and can be put to good use for our town. It's time to move forward, and see what more our town can be!"

The crowd began to cheer. Aladdin shook his head in disbelief. Then Cinderella pushed her way through the crowd until she was standing next to Clayton.

"NO!" Cinderella yelled, catching everyone's attention. "What are you thinking? For years now, this forest has been a refuge for those in need."

"A hiding place for criminals, you mean," Clayton spoke up. The crowd began to grow restless again.

"No!" Cinderella yelled again. Everyone grew silent. "I don't mean criminals. I mean all the creatures that live in a forest. Creatures that could not survive in a city. The squirrels, the deer the wild honey bees, the birds that nest there in the summer. Where would they live if we took away their home? You would have to be responsible for them. You would have to care for them, because they could no longer take care of themselves. You would have to feed them and shelter them and make them feel like they belonged in a world where they don't. Do you really want that burden? Are you truly ready to take on that responsibility? Any creatures that you kill, their blood will be on your hands, for you allowed this to happen."

Many of the people in the crowd began to look very sheepish. Clayton took advantage of the silence to say, "They adapt. They will soon find new homes."

Cinderella glared at him. "So could any of us, but no one wants to be run off of their land, now do they?"

Clayton was having a hard time keeping his temper in check. "They're animals! They are here to do our will!"

Cinderella shook her head. "Simply because they are not humans does not give us the right to kill them whenever we want to."

"What about the strange creatures that haunt the forest?" Clayton pressed.

Cinderella raised her eyebrow. "What about them?"

"They are our enemies!" Clayton insisted. "They are demons, waiting for the chance to destroy us!"

"The thing that will destroy you is your own ignorance!" Aladdin snapped, stepping up beside Cinderella. "They are no demons! They live and breathe as you do. If you strike them, they will bleed. In many ways, they are much like you. They speak, they feel, they raise their families. They are more man than animal. If you would just talk to them, you would see this."

"How would you know this?" Clayton asked him, suspicious.

Eric stepped forward. "We know because we have seen them for many days now. We have spoken to them, and have seen how they live. The differences they have are not witchcraft and sorcery. They are gifts, and not one of them sees their gift as a curse. They see their differences, and they accept them. But not one of them uses their powers against us." He looked at Aladdin, and they shared a smile. "They are a family. One that I am proud to say I am now a part of."

"You're not afraid of them?" someone in the crowd called.

"Why should I be?" Eric replied. "They saved my life! It's only fair that I should try and save theirs."

Clayton smirked. "They only saved you so you would stand up for them."

"That's not true!" Aladdin yelled. "They are the kindest, gentlest people I have ever met, and I am proud to call them my family."

Cinderella took his hand in support. "So am I."

Clayton looked at them curiously. "And what were you all saved from, I wonder, that makes you stand up for them like this?"

"They were saved from the witch's evil power," a voice called out, and everyone looked, surprised to see Jim walking up to his friends. "As was I."

"You're supposed to be in jail," Clayton told him. "What are you doing here?"

Jim looked straight at the crowd. "Why was I arrested? Because I'm different? Or was it because you feared that evil wizard that you said watched me for one day when I was a child? Yes, he watched me, and yes, he turned me into what I am today. But I don't hate the gift that was given to me, and I will not give it up simply because I will be feared if I don't. These gifts are precious, however they come. And these _creatures_, as you call them, they helped me see that. They are not the ones you should have feared. You should have feared the one living among you, working her evil deeds all around. She held Eric here captive for eleven years, and yet none of you noticed, or even cared. You simply welcomed the wife of the wizard!"

The crowd began to yell, some saying one thing, some another. Clayton fumed. "SILENCE!" he screamed. The crowd grew quiet. "I see that this truly is a job for the courts. There will be a town meeting called in the courthouse this afternoon." He turned and glared at the four friends. "And you four better be there," he growled.

Clayton left in a huff, and the crowd began to disperse. Aladdin turned to Jim. "I thought we told you to stay in the forest."

Jim crossed his arms. "Aren't you glad I didn't?" he retorted.

Eric sighed. "Yes, you helped us, but you also put yourself in great danger. Now they know you're here!"

"But they also know the truth," Jim reminded them.

"He's right," Cinderella admitted. "Did you see their faces? They had no idea that the witch was living among them."

Aladdin shook his head. "I think they had no idea she was a witch."

Eric looked around and saw several people glaring at them. "Come on, let's get out of here."

...

Eric delivered his note to the school, then went straight to the courthouse. Cinderella, Aladdin and Jim, however, were forced to go to class. Throughout the day many students glared at them, while others avoided them like they had the plague.

As soon as the last bell rang, they ran to the courthouse as fast as they could. Eric was waiting for them.

Eric sighed in relief when he saw them. "Just in time. We start in ten minutes."

"So what's happening?" Aladdin gasped, trying to catch his breath.

"I'll be representing you three, and the forest," Eric informed them.

Jim raised an eyebrow. "You're no lawyer."

"Well, I am today," Eric informed him.

"Who's representing the contractors?" Aladdin asked.

Eric sighed. "My father."

They looked at him in shock. "What?" Cinderella asked hoping she had heard him wrong. But she knew from the look on his face that she had. "Why?"

Eric shook his head. "He never did like the forest. And I guess he figures that the best test of my skills will be against him." Aladdin shook his head in disbelief. "Plus," Eric added quietly, "I think he was in the crowd this morning. He's been looking at me very strange today."

Cinderella placed her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "I'm sorry."

Eric shrugged, trying to act indifferent. "We never were close. But he's really good at what he does. We're gonna have to fight tooth and nail to beat him."

"Let's get to it then," Jim said confidently.

Eric smiled at his friend's eagerness, then frowned. "Jim," he admitted, "there is a chance that they might arrest you again."

Jim paled. "What?"

"If the judge wants to, don't fight them. It would just hurt our case," Eric told Jim.

Aladdin shook his head in disbelief. "So we just give in to everything they say?"

"Not everything," Eric assured them. "But we do have to be honest. If they ask, we have to tell them the truth."

Aladdin sighed in defeat. "Ok."

Eric looked at Jim. "Jim?"

Jim was angry and hurt. "So I have to sacrifice myself again?"

"I'm sorry," Eric said, the hurt reflected in his own eyes. "But we got you out before, and we can do it again. Legally this time. Trust me."

Jim clenched his fists in frustration. "Fine." Then he pointed his finger in Eric's face threateningly. "But if you double cross us again, I will kill you."

"Fair enough," Eric answered calmly. "But you don't have to worry about that. This is my fight as much as yours."

Jim took a deep breath to calm down and nodded. Eric looked at his friends. "We should head inside. It's about to start." They nodded. And with one final prayer, they walked through the doors.


	20. Chapter 20: Order in the Court!

CHAPTER 20: Order in the Court!

...

**Author's note: You should know that I know little to nothing about real court, only what I see in movies. So here is my version. Happy reading!**

**Also, my spell check isn't working, so sorry in advance for any typos.**

...

The judge was a young man, new to the town. The name on his desk read 'Judge Milo Thatch'.

He beat his gavel. "This court is now in session."

Frollo stood for his opening statement. "Thank you, Your Honor. As you all know, that forest on the edge of this town has been nothing but a nuscance for many years now. There have been rumors of hauntings, disappearences, even violence. And since the fires, it has become nothing but an eyesore. It needs to be taken out, for the good of this whole town."

Frollo sat down, and looked at Eric with a look that said 'beat that.' Eric took a deep breath, stood, and spoke:

"Your Honor, years ago, when this forest was first saved, it was saved as a preserve of life. And that is what resides there today: life. Not only plants and animals, but humanoids as well. They are much like us, and they call that forest home. They live apart from us out of respect for our way of life. We should show them the same respect by preserving their home."

Clayton, sitting beside Frollo, snorted. "You would call a half burned forest a home?"

Aladdin fumed. "That half burned forest, as you call it, is a home for many of us!"

Judge Thatch banged his gavel in annoyance. "Order! There will be order! And the next person who gives such an outburst will be put out of this court!" He looked around. Clayton crossed his arms, smiling. Eric gently placed his hand on Aladdin's shoulder to calm him. Judge Thatch looked at them for a moment longer, then spoke. "Since both of the lawyers have the same last name, I will be forced to call them by their first names. Will that be acceptable?" Both Frollo and Eric nodded. "Very well. Mr Frolo, please call your first witness."

Frollo stood. "I call to the stand Aladdin Li."

"Try to keep your temper in check," Eric whispered to Aladdin. Aladdin nodded, and walked to the stand.

The guard standing beside the judge stepped forward. His nametag read Officer Phoebus. "Place your hand on the Bible and raise your right hand," he ordered. Aladdin obeyed. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

"I do," Aladdin answered.

Phoebus nodded. "You may sit."

Aladdin sat, and Frollo walked up to him. "Mr Li," Frollo began, "you said a moment ago that 'there are many of _us_ that call this forest home'. Are you saying that you are one of those 'humanoids', as my colligue calls them, who live in the forest?"

"Yes, sir," Aladdin answered, regretting his outburst.

Frollo nodded. "Tell me, do your people have a legal right to be there?"

"As much right as anyone does," Aladdin answered.

Frollo raised his eyebrows. "So your family owns a part of the forest, then?"

"No," Aladdin admitted.

"But you just said that you have a legal right to be there," Frollo pressed.

"As much right as you do," Aladdin told him.

"Yes, but I don't live there, do I?" Frollo asked.

Aladdin snorted. "Of course not."

Frollo nodded. "So what you're saying is that you have no legal right to _live_ in the forest."

Eric stood quickly. "Objection, Your Honor."

"Overruled," the judge said. "Answer the question, Mr Li."

Frollo smiled. "Do you have a legal right to live in that forest?"

Aladdin winced. "No, sir."

Frollo stood up straight, satisfied. "No further questions, Your Honor."

Judge Thatch nodded. "Mr Eric, care to cross examine the witness?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Eric answered quickly, hoping he could fix the damage his father had just done. "Mr Li, you say you have no legal right to live in the forest?"

Aladdin looked at him curiously. "That's right."

"Why live there, then?" Eric asked.

Aladdin shrugged. "Where else would we go?" he answered with a question of his own. "Most people out there see us as less than human. To live among them would be dangerous. So we live apart, hidden from them, remaining as mere legends in their minds."

"Have your numbers grown throughout the years?" Eric asked.

"No," Aladdin answered sadly. "There are very few of us left now. The forests around the world are being destroyed, and us with them. Man does not see a need to save what he believes is not there. But we _are_ there, and we are being destroyed."

"But why live in a forest?" Eric asked. "Why not live somewhere else?"

"Like I said, where else?" Aladdin answered. "It may not seem like much to you, But to us, a forest is home, just as much as it is to any wild creature out there. We are deeply rooted in it, some more than others." He paused a second, thinking of Pocahontas, then continued: "To remove us from that environment would be like removing a fish from water. You can't do it! And even if we did adapt, if we somehow survived, we would never be the same."

"So you're saying," Eric spoke up, "that if we cut down the forest, even if we removed you and put you somewhere else, many of you would not survive."

"At least a few of us would certainly die, yes."

"No further questions," Eric said, sitting down, and breathing a silent sigh of relief.

"You may step down, Mr Li," the judge told him. "Mr Eric, you may call your first witness."

"Yes, Your Honor," Eric said, standing back up as Aladdin walked over sat sat back down beside him. "I call Cinderella Hawkins to the stand."

Once she was sworn in, Eric walked to her. "Miss Hawkins, you don't live in the forest, do you?"

"No, sir," Cinderella answered.

"How long have you known these creatures of the forest?"

"Since the beginning of the school year," she told him.

"And how long has that been?" Eric pressed.

Cinderella thought for a minute. "About a week, I guess."

"So if you've only known them a week," Eric said, looking into her eyes, "why would you put your life on the line to save total strangers?"

Cinderella actually smiled. "They're not strangers. They're my friends. We may not have known each other long, but we've grown very close in the time we've had. Aladdin and his family have taught me so much about myself, about life, and the way things should be. They've shown me who I am, and given me the courage to stand up for what's right." She looked at Aladdin, who smiled encouragingly. "They've also shown me how to go about living day after day. I've learned to understand life more deeply than others might."

"How well do you understand them?" Eric asked.

She looked at him, surprised. "As well as I understand myself."

"What are they like?" Eric pressed.

"They are a very close knit people," Cinderella answered cautiously. "They watch out for each other, and see each other as family, even if they're not. They respect the differences of others better than most humans I know."  
>"Do you think that in any way they would endanger our way of life?"<p>

"No. They tend to avoid us if at all possible."

"So you see no danger in allowing them to remain?"

"None, sir."

"No further questions." Eric sat down.

Frollo stood. "You say you understand these people more deply than others might," he said cunningly.

"That's right," Cinderella answered nervously.

"Why is that?"

"I recently found out that I am one of them."

"So you intend to live with them now? To adapt to their way of life?"

"No."

"No?" Frollo raised an eyebrow.  
>"I don't need to adapt," Cinderella explained. "I already know it. My parents raised me the same way."<p>

"Will you be living with them now that you are one of them?"

"I would like to remain with my parents," Cinderella admitted.

"And if they refuse to raise such a creature?"

Cinderella swallowed, and glanced into the crowd to see if her parents were there; they weren't. "They've always promised me that they would love me, no matter what. We're family, and that should never change just because something happens."

Frollo had seen her look, and felt a surge of triumph; but he held it back. "This isn't an everyday something. This is something that could seperate you from humanity for the rest of your life."

"Only if I let it," she insisted. "True, there are very few of us that can walk among men, but the ones that can live very normal lives."

Frollo snorted. "How can having that kind of power make you normal?"

"Normal is a matter of opinion," Cinderella pointed out. "If you lived among the creatures of the forest while still a human, would you be normal? No, you'd be different. And they are the same way. If they live among you, they'd be different. It's just a matter of what the majority is at that time as to what's normal."

Frollo found himself frustrated. Knowing he needed to cool off, he murmered," No further questions."

"Miss Hawkens, you may step down," Milo told her. She returned to Eric's side. "Mr Frollo, you may call your next witness.

Frollo debated his next move, then decided. "I call to the stand Jim Porter."

Jim nervously came forward, and was sworn in. Then Frollo paced in front of him. "Mr Porter, is it true that you were recently arrested?"

"Yes," Jim answered, tensing up.

"Why?"

"Because I failed to report that the wizard messed with me as a child, thereby resulting in me having strange powers that the government didn't know about!" he snapped. "Clear enough for you?"

Frollo smiled. "Quite. And were you ever released by the governent?"

"No," Jim admitted.

"Then you escaped from prisin."

"You call that a prisin?" Jim exclaimed. "They treat animals better than they treated me back there! I was just a guine pig to them, to be used however they pleased! I don't care if you don't see me as fully human, but even an animal has more rights than that!"

Frollo smirked, and opened his mouth to speak, but Milo banged his gavel, causing the courtroom to be silent. "I've heard enough," Milo announced. "Mr Porter, since you were not legaly released from prisin, I will have to place you under arrest. However, I will personally see to it that you are treated humanely. You have one minute to speak with Mr Eric. We will reconvene here at 9:00 tomorrow morning. This court is in recess for now." He banged his gavel again.

Cinderella turned to Jim. "I'm so sorry!"

Jim shrugged. "It's no more than I expected." He turned to Eric."Thanks for the heads up."

Eric nodded sadly. "I wish I had been wrong. But we'll get you back out, legally this time. Just stay out of trouble and keep your mouth shut while you're there. Got it?"

Jim maneged a weak smile. "Easy enough."

Phoebus walked over. "Time's up, son," he informed them. Then he handcuffed Jim and led him away.


	21. Chapter 21: Fight

CHAPTER 21: Fight

As Eric, Aladdin and Cinderella walked back into the forest, Kida saw them and ran up to them. "Where's Jim?" she asked, seeing that he wasn't with them.

"Where do you think?" Aladdin snapped, upset. "They up and carted him off to prisin again!"

"Which one?" Pocahontas asked.

"I'm not sure," Eric admitted.

"Well, use your powers and find out!" Phil insisted.

"No," Eric objected. "The last thing we need to do right now is break someone out of prisin. We need to follow the law, and just keep going."

"Keep going?" Pocahontas asked, offended. "They hurt us, we hurt them!"

Eric quickly spoke up, "That's not the way it works. If we're not honest, they'll never believe us. They'll destroy us and everyone like us! Is that really what you want?"

"No," Pocahontas admitted in defeat.

"Look," Eric said more gently, "the judge said that he would personally see that Jim is treated fairly. I think we should trust the judge, and keep fighting for the forest. Only then can we save Jim."

Phil sighed. "You're right. I just can't believe that we sprung him out of prisin just to let them put him right back in."

"That wasn't prisin, that was torture," Eric corrected. "This time, he'll actually be in a jail. May not sound all that great, but it has to be better."

"Calm down, guys," Cinderella said. "The sooner we get everything figured out, the sooner we get Jim back. So let's focus here." She turned to Eric. "What do we need to know about tomorrow? Will they bring up Jim's case?"

Eric shrugged. "Maybe. But really, Jim isn't the issue here. The issue is you guys, and the forest. Everything else will be placed on the back burner until this is resolved."

"What will happen to Jim?" Kida asked, worried.

Again Eric shrugged. "That depends on how the case goes. If everything goes well, and they see that Jim is telling the truth, the charges may be dropped. However, if the case goes badly, there's no telling what will happen to any of us."

"What about our families?" Cinderella asked suddenly. "You don't think that they would be harmed because of us, do you?"

Eric winced. "There's no telling what the town will do. By now our own families may even be against us."

"If they even know who you are," Shang reminded them. "Do they?"

"No," Ciderella answered.

Eric hung his head. "I'm not sure."

"They have a right to know," Shang told them.

Eric winced. "And if they reject us?"

Shang put his hand on Eric's shoulder gently. "Then know you will always have a home here with us."

"But at what cost?" Eric mumbled.

"If they are truely the good people you say they are," Shang told him kindly, "then they will understand."

"I sure hope so," Cinderella whispered.

But Eric shook his head. "Whenever anyone like us was even mentioned at home, dad would brush it off with such contempt that I was afraid to tell him anything. As soon as he knows for sure, he's bound to never speak to me again." He shuttered. "I can't do this!"

"Then I'll do it for you," Aladdin offered. "But Father is right. They do have a right to know."

"Perhaps it would be better if you both went," Shang suggested.

"I can't!" Eric nearly yelled. "Honestly, I've never felt so ashaimed of who I am in all my life then whenever I'm around him!"

"But it wouldn't it be better to hear it from you than someone else?" Shang asked gently.

Eric sighed in defeat. "I guess so." He turned to Aladdin. "Will you come with me?"

Aladdin smiled supportavely. "Be happy to."

...

When they arrived at Eric's house, they paused. "You ready?" Aladdin asked.

"No," Eric admitted. "But let's get this over with."

As he was closing the door behind them, Frollo called from the next room, "Eric?"

"Yeah, it's me," Eric answered. He led Aladdin into the living room where Frollo was sitting, reading the paper.

"You're late," Frollo informed him harshly. "You were supposed to be home an hour ago. No more staying out late."

Eric winced. "Sorry, I got delayed."

Frollo slammed the paper down. "I don't want to hear your excuses," he snapped. "I want to hear 'Yes, sir.' Do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir," Eric replied immediately.

"I need to ask you a few questions..." Frollo stopped when saw Aladdin standing there. "Who is this?" he asked Eric. Then he looked closer at Aladdin. "Didn't I see you in court today?"

"He's a friend," Eric spoke up quickly.

Frollo glared at his son. "Well, kindly ask your 'friend' to go home."

"I didn't come here to hang out, sir," Aladdin spoke up.

"Really?" Frollo said sarcastically. "Then you wouldn't mind leaving."

"Dad, wait," Eric spoke up quickly. "There's something I need to tell you. Where's Mom?"

Frollo glared at his son a second, then yelled, "Lady!"

"What?" Mrs Tremaine answered from the bedroom.

"Our son has something to tell us," Frollo called to her.

"What is it?" Lady Tremaine asked, joining them. "And who's this?"

"A friend," Aladdin told them.

Eric took a deep breath. "Dad, Mom, I have something to tell you."

"Oh, no," Lady Tremaine moaned. "You're not gay, are you?"

"What?" Eric said, surprised. "No!"

Lady Tremaine crossed her arms. "Ok then, out with it."

Kayley entered from the kitchen. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Quiet, Kayley," Frollo snapped. "Your brother has something he wants to tell us."

Eric sighed, and reluctantly began: "For a while now, I've been having these strange powers."

Frollo tensed. "What kind of powers?"

"Psycic control," Eric admitted.

Frollo scowled. "Mind control?"

Eric shrugged. "That is an addition to it, yeah."

"And you thought we didn't need to know that?" Lady Tremaine snapped.

"I thought that they would go away with time, you know, like acne or something!" Eric tried to explain.

"But they haven't, have they?" Frollo asked angrily.

"They're getting worse," Eric admitted. "My powers are getting stronger, not weaker."

"What do you mean by psycic powers?" Kayley spoke up.

Not knowing what else to do, Eric said, "This," and lifted the lamp with his mind, then placed it gently on the coffee table. Kayley looked at him in surprise, but his parents looked at him as though he had just admitted to murder.

"What happened to you?" Frollo asked.

"It's a long story," Eric said, not wanting to get into that.

"Tell us!" Frollo snapped.

"Look," Aladdin spoke up, trying to avoid a fight. "How it happened is not important; that it happened is."

Eric looked at his parents. They stared back at him, horrified. "What are you going to do with me?" Eric asked, a little frightened at their reaction.

Frollo began walking toward the phone. "I'm going to call the authorities. Let them handle this mess."

Eric was shocked. "Father, please!" he begged.

Frollo whirled, turning on his son. "I will not have a freak of nature living in this house any longer!" he snapped furiously.

"Then I'll live somewhere else," Eric decided sadly.

"Who else would take you in?" Frollo asked him.

Aladdin put his hand on Eric's shoulder supportively. "We would."

Frollo scowled at Aladdin. "And who are you?" he asked. "Another freak of nature?" Frollo stepped forward and pushed Aladdin back roughly.

"Don't touch me!" Aladdin yelled, frightened.

Eric was afraid as well, but was also angry. "Leave him alone!"

Frollo walked toward his son until they were face to face. "Don't you talk that way to me, boy," Frollo warned.

"Then don't push my friends!" Eric snapped back, refusing to back down. Glaring at Eric, Frollo slapped him.

"Hey, leave him alone!" Aladdin demanded.

Frollo looked at Aladdin. "Get out of here. This does not concern you."

"It fully concerns me!" Aladdin insisted.

"Guys, please," Kayley begged.

Frollo whirled to face her. "Kayley, go to your room," he commanded.

"No," Kayley said, standing her ground shakily. "Not until I know what you're doing to my brother."

Frollo looked disgusted. "He's not your brother anymore. Think of him as dead."

"He's not dead, he's standing right here!" Kayley objected.

"He is dead!" Frollo yelled furiously. "And if this _boy _ever returns here, I am going to call the cops, and have him shipped off."

"How dare you!" Aladdin snapped. "How could you disown your son just because he's different from you? You don't even know what he's been through!"

Frollo fumed. "Get out of my house!"

Aladdin shook his head in fury and disgust. "Gladly. Come on, Eric."

The boys left the house for the last time. Eric glanced back sadly, but all he saw was his parents staring at him like an unwelcome intruder. It hurt more than he would ever admit.

As soon as the door closed, Kayley turned to her father. "Daddy!" she cried, but he cut her off.

"Don't you go siding with him, missie. There's enough freaks out there as it is without you joining them."

Kayley turned to her mother. "Mama?" she begged, but Lady Tremaine just shook her head. "I think your father's right this time, Kayley."

Kayley couldn't believe her ears. "But he's family! You can't just..." she objected, but Frollo interrupted her furiously.

"He is not part of this family!" He glared at her. "Now go to your room, or you will be punished."

But Kayley refused. "How? Will you disown me too?"

Frollo walked toward her menacingly. "Come to think of it, I just might."

Lady Tremain's eyes grew wide. "No! Please, leave her out of this!"

Frollo glared at his wife. "She got herself into it," he reminded her. "She can get herself out."

Kayley scowled. "Out is right," she spat. "If you disown my brother, you disown me too."

"Kayley," Lady Tremaine tried to stop her, but Kayley wasn't backing down; not this time.

"I mean it!"

Shaking with fury, Frollo slapped Kayley so hard she fell back. Tears began to fall from her eyes. "If you ever go near that freak again," he warned her, "I will ground you until you're 40!"

Kayley sniffed, holding her cheek where he had struck her. "As if you could keep me around that long. I want to go live with my brother."

Frollo fumed. "Then get out of here, and if either of you ever come back, I'm calling the cops!"

"Frollo," Lady Tremain said pleadingly, but he cut her off.

"What?" he snapped. "You want to go with them? Go on! Live with the freaks!"

Lady Tremaine begame angry. "I am not living with any freaks!"

"Then let them go!" Frollo ordered.

Lady Tremaine turned back to her daughter, her face determined. "If you want to leave, go, but you're never coming back."

Scrambling to her feet, Kayley rushed to the door. "Kayley," Frollo yelled. "If you walk out that door, you will never be allowed to come here again!"

Kayley turned to him one last time. "Then get in your head that you lost both your children today, not just one!" she cried. Then without a second thought, she ran outside, slamming the door behind her.


	22. Chapter 22: Flight

CHAPTER 22

Eric and Aladdin walked down the street in silence. "I see now why you didn't want to go," Aladdin finally spoke up.

Eric sighed. "It would have happened eventually anyway. Dad never did like the rumors of creatures like us living in the forest. Now that he knows that they're true..." Eric stopped and turned to his friend. "He really is a jerk, isn't he?"

Aladdin shook his head. "We really shouldn't talk about your father that way, even if he is... never mind. He's still your father. That has to count for something."

Eric sighed. "I guess so."

Suddenly, they heard someone call, "Eric!"

Eric turned, and was surprised to see his sister. "Kayley! What...?"

Throwing herself into his arms, she began sobbing. "He threw me out for siding with you!"

Eric hugged his sister close. "I'm so sorry, Kay. I never meant for you to be hurt." He waited until her sobs slowed, then pulled her away to look at her. "Why did you get involved? You could have stayed at home."

Kayley sniffed. "I just couldn't live there anymore." She turned to Aladdin. "Could I stay with you too?"

Aladdin smiled sadly. "As long as you want," he assured her.

Eric looked closer at Kayley in the streetlight. "Did he hit you?" he asked.

She touched her cheek tenderly where it still stung. "Is it that obvious?"

Eric winced. "You'll have a nice bruise there for a few days."

Kayley swallowed the tears that threatened to spill out, then shrugged. "At least we don't have to worry about that anymore." Then worry crept into her face. "Right?"

Eric smiled. "Right," he said confidently. "No one will ever hurt you again. I promise."

Kayley smiled at her brother, and hugged him tightly.

"Well well well, what have we here?" a voice said behind them. The three of them turned to see a group of men behind them, holding knives and baseball bats "Three freaks."

Aladdin backed up nervously. "Come on, you guys. We don't want to fight."

"We don't want to fight," one of the men repeated mockingly. They begin to laugh. "Of course you don't," the man continued "You know we'll win."

"I never said that," Aladdin said quietly.

The man stepped toward them threateningly. "Oh, so you think you could beat all of us?"

Eric held Kayley protectively. She was trembling with fear. "Will you please just let us pass?" Eric asked shakily.

"And where would you be headed?" the man asked.

"None of your buisness," Aladdin growled.

"It wouldn't be the forest would it?" The men began to walk toward the teens, who began backing up.

"Like I said, it's none of your buisness," Aladdin repeated.

"Of course you wouldn't be going to the forest," the man laughed. "You wouldn't be seen dead with those freaks of nature, now would you?"

Aladdin tensed. "Back off, sir."

"Is that a threat?" the man asked mockingly. "Oh, I'm so scared!"

Aladdin had enough. "I warned you!" Then he turned into a bear before their eyes. The men stared in horror, then turned and ran as Aladdin roared and lunged at them.

Then Aladdin turned to Eric and Kayley. "Get on," he ordered. Eric obeyed immediately, climbing onto his friend's back, then turned and helped his sister up. As soon as they were secure, Aladdin took off running toward the forest.

...

**I know, it's a short chapter. Sorry. My great-grandmother died, and it is HARD to write when you're grieving. I did change the cover art, however. Apparently actual art is easier than writing right now. I do intend on finishing the story, I just need time.**


End file.
